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THE SAW IN 
HISTORY 

A comprehensive description of the develop¬ 
ment of this most useful of tools from the 
earliest times down to the present day 

This book is dedicated to that vast 
army of workers whose chief weapon 
is THE SAW, extending from the 
crowded centers of civilization into 
the wilds that mark the limits of 
man’s advance in his conquering 
march against nature. 



COPYRIGHT 1921 
BY 

HENRY DISSTON & SONS, Inc. 

Keystone Saw, Tool, Steel, and File Works 
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. 









u 


H 


HENRY DISSTON 

E cheated a new American industry. 
He gave to the United States the 
greatest saw works in the world, 
and founded an industrial university 
wherein a dozen useful trades are taught. 
Not only did he redeem us from all de¬ 
pendence on foreign countries, but turned 
back the tide and made them accept his 
products, and this simply by peaceful 
demonstration of superior skill in manu¬ 
facturing.” 

© Cl A619024 




5AM 261921 




T 





o 


FOREWORD 

I T seems curious that the saw—so essential a 
factor in man’s development, so intimately inter¬ 
woven with the progress of civilization, so ab¬ 
solutely indispensable today—has had so little at¬ 
tention from historians. 

While the history of the modern saw is more or 
less a history of the development of the business of 
The House of Disston (Henry Disston & Sons), yet 
to obtain a record, at once comprehensive and ac¬ 
curate, of this most useful of implements, extensive 
investigations into its origin and early development 
were instituted. Museums, private collections, and 
musty old records everywhere were delved into for 
information, and the result constitutes the only 
complete history of the saw ever compiled in one 
volume. 

However, as with all pioneer undertakings of 
like magnitude, with no guide to follow save the 
pattern devised from its own discoveries, it is entirely 
likely that this work is not without defect. Such 
slight omissions as may be brought to light by its 
wide circulation will, it is hoped, be passed in toler¬ 
ance in view of the difficulties attending its com¬ 
pilation. 




Blade of Ancient Frame Saw 



Saw Found in a Tomb in Thebes, Egypt 






















THE SAW IN HISTORY 

PART ONE 

The Ancient Saw 

T HE saw is one of the most ancient tools known to man. It antedates 
civilization. Its use dates back to the Neolithic or later stone age, 
before the discovery of metals, when only the crudest of implements 
were constructed. 

The bronze age, with its progress of mankind toward civilization, brought 
a corresponding development in the saw. While the length and form of the 



stone saws of the earlier period were de¬ 
termined largely by accident, bronze per¬ 
mitted of manipulation into desired shapes, 
and its introduction marked a distinct 
improvement in form. As the ancients’ 
knowledge of metals increased, iron was 
used in tool construction, especially in 
that of saws, and this period may be con¬ 
sidered the genesis of modern saw-making. 

It is generally conceded that nature pro¬ 
vided the examples which inspired the inven¬ 
tion of saws. Some investigators claim the 
saw-fish (Fig. 1) as the first type; others, the 
wasp (Fig. 2), with the saw-like action of its 
serrated sting. 

A Grecian fable describing the origin of 
the saw relates how Talus (or Perdix), having found the jawbone of a fish 
(according to some authorities a serpent), produced an imitation by cutting 
teeth in iron. While the Grecian claim to discovery is unbacked by historical 
authority, such an origin seems probable. 

Saws appear not to have been known in the time of Homer, for in the 
minute description of the building by Ulysses of his ship, no mention of them 
is made, although if this tool had been known, Calypso could have supplied 
it as easily as she did the axe, adze, augers, and other tools. Probably the 
Greeks, like other nations, borrowed the saw from the Egyptians, on whose 
sculptures it appeared at a very early period. 



Fig. 2 









Page 6 


The Saw in History 


The few specimens of prehistoric saws existing in the museums of Europe 
and America, enable us to judge of the character and method of use of the 
primitive types. The saws of the bronze age, of which a number of typical 
specimens have 
been found, 
more nearly ap¬ 




proach the forms with which we are familiar. 
Still more modern forms were developed as 
the iron age succeeded the bronze age, and 
some iron saws that date to Biblical times and 
beyond might, but for their inferior material 
and workmanship, be taken as models for more 
modern implements. 

Indisputable evidence that bronze saws with 
jewelled teeth were used by the 
ancient Egyptian for cutting the 
hardest stone was discovered by the 
eminent Egyptologist, Prof. W. M. 
Flinders Petrie. Sir Austen Henry 
Layard, the Assyriologist, found at 
Nimroud near Nineveh, a two- 
handled, iron saw (Fig. 3), 3 ft. 8 in. 
long by 4c% in. wide (dimensions 
similar to those of the present day 
saw). Saws are mentioned in the 
Bible. It is said that Christian 
martyrs in the days of persecution 
were “sawn asunder.” Grecian car¬ 
penters used saws not unlike those of 
today. A painting discovered at Herculaneum depicts two genii at the end 
of a bench operating a saw (Fig. 4) resembling the modern frame saw, while a 
drawing found upon an ancient tomb shows a saw (Fig. 5) almost identical 
with the bucksaw of today. Cicero in his oration for Cluenthius, mentions 
an ingenious saw with which a thief cut out the bottom of a chest. Pliny 
states that saws were used by the ancient Belgae for cutting building-stone. 

The earliest prehistoric saws were simply small flakes of flint, notched by 
chipping. Rarely more than 3 inches long, with irregular teeth of doubtful 
sharpness and held between thumb 
and finger, these saws had very 
limited cutting-power. They were 
used chiefly in the manufacture of 
ornaments from bone and soft stones. 

Excellent specimens found in the 
north of England are shown in Figs. 

6 and 7. Greenwell, in his “British 
Barrows,” says of Fig. 7: 

“This instrument is very like 
a lance point, sharpened and thin at 
the base, where it was fastened to 
the haft; but from the many teeth at 


Fig. 4 

















The Saw in History 


Page 7 


regular distances from each other, I am disposed to think it has probably been 
a saw.” 

Flint saws have been discovered in the caves of the “reindeer period” in 
France, in the Kjokken-Moddings (ancient stone heaps) of Denmark and 
Sweden, in the lake dwellings of Switzerland and northern Italy, and practically 
throughout Europe. The smallest discovered is 13^ inches in length and none 
has been found longer than 9J4 inches. 

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate some of the primitive types. Fig. 9 appears 
to have been used both as a knife and a saw, and there are indications that 
some of the specimens once had wooden handles. 

The stone-age man’s ingenuity increased with his needs, and he discovered 
that by mounting his serrated flint chips in a groove formed in a stock of wood 



he obtained a more serviceable tool. The finest specimen of this type (Fig. 11) 
was found in the prehistoric region of Polada, in northern Italy. Four separate 
flint flakes are cemented into the wooden casing with asphalt. Swiss archaeo¬ 
logists declare the shape of the handles indicates that this was made for the 
use of a left-handed man. A similar saw was found in a lake dwelling at 
Vinelz, Switzerland. Mounted specimens of prehistoric man’s handiwork are 
necessarily rare because of the perishable nature of wood. 

In Scandinavia, where flint is found in large blocks, the primitive saws 
were larger and half-moon shaped (Fig. 12). The teeth are on the straight 
edge, which is from 4 to 7 inches long. 

Dr. Schlieman found flint saws in abundance during his extensive ex¬ 
cavations on the site of ancient Troy. 

The universal development of this implement under pressure of necessity 
is seen in the fact that the South Sea Islanders (far from the northern European 



Fig. li 






Page 8 


The Saw in History 



Fig. 12 



Fig. 13 


mentioned) made a saw from sharks’ teeth, the Carib Indians used notched 
shells, while the ancient Mexicans used a volcanic rock called Obsidian for 
saw teeth. 

Specimens of the bronze saws which supplanted those of stone are rare, 
not more than about thirty having been found in all Europe. A perfect blade 
about 9 inches long (Fig. 13) was taken from a lake dwelling at Moermgen, 
Switzerland. 

Others have been 
found in France, 

Spain, Hungary, 

Italy and Sweden, 
and in the last- 
named country 
was found a stone 
mold for casting 
bronze saws, in 
which four could 
be cast at once 
(Fig. 14). The 
variety of other 
sharp tools made 
during the bronze 
age better adapt¬ 
ed to the requirements of that period probably accounts for the rarity of metal 
saws among the relics. 

The Hebrews used saws for cutting both wood and stone, as indicated in 
I Kings 7 : 9, which refers to “costly stones, according to the measures of 
hewed stones, sawed with saws, etc.” Pliny believed that sawn slabs composed 
the marble facing of the place of Mausolus, King of Caria (350 B.C.). Refer¬ 
ences by other ancient authors carry both types of saws back to the greatest 
antiquity. Prisoners of war, especially noblemen, were sometimes executed 
with iron saws, as mentioned in the Bible and elsewhere (II Samuel 12 : 31 : 
“And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, 
etc.”). This was the fate of the prophet Isaiah, under King Manassel, ac¬ 
cording to the writings of the church fathers, Justin Martyr, Origen, Epi- 
phanius and Lactantius. This terrible punishment was known to other 
ancient nations, notably the Egyp¬ 
tians, Persians and Thracians, and in 
a few instances was inflicted upon 
Jews under Roman emperors. 

Ancient and Egyptian saws, so far as 
learned, were single handled, al¬ 
though St. Jerome has been thought 
to allude to circular saws. Flinders 
Petrie’s findings indicate, however, 
that this reference was probably to 
stone-cutting saws. 

As with modern Oriental saws, 
those of the ancient Egyptians are 
supposed, from the illustrations, to 



Fig. 14 


have had the teeth inclined toward the handle—cutting on the pull —although 
this is not invariably the rule. The predominant type was constructed of a 
bronze blade attached to a handle with what appear to be leathern thongs. 
However, the British Museum has specimens with tangs for inserting into the 
handle, as with the modern knife. Double saws, strained with a cord, were 











The Saw in History 


Page 9 



in use by the Romans. The Egyptians placed the wood to be sawed per¬ 
pendicularly in a sort of frame and cut downward. The saws “under" or “in” 
which David is said to have placed his captives were of iron. A case of “sawing 
asunder” by placing the criminals between boards and beginning at the head, 
is mentioned by Shaw in “Travels.” 

Although one of the simplest and oldest of tools, it was not until the last 
two or three centuries that the saw attained its universal importance. Iron 
was necessary in its construction. Stone saws had no real value and those of 
bronze were little better. Moreover, bronze adapted itself so readily to edged- 
tool construction that these practically supplanted the saw. Many savage 
races and even the comparatively civilized South American aborigines never 
knew the saw. Beckmann states that : “In early periods, the trunks of trees 
were split with wedges into as many thin pieces as possible; and if it was found 
necessary to have these still thinner, they were hewn on both sides to proper 
size.” And this wasteful process has continued in use to comparatively recent 
times in countries where wood is abundant. 

The invention of steel was a powerful stimulant in the development of the 
saw. The date of its discovery is lost in the past. Hesiod in 850 B.C. refers 
to “bright iron” and “black iron,” and Ezekiel in 600 B.C. to “bright iron.” 
This latter undoubtedly was a low-grade steel. 

The mention of its importation from Chalybes to Greece is the first 
authentic mention of steel. From ancient history we learn of the wonderful 
Persian and Damascene sword-blades of steel (335 
B.C.), while Diodorus, a Greek, wrote in 50 B.C. of 
the Celtiberians as being “armed with weapons of 

excellent temper.” 

Ancient paint¬ 
ings and other dis¬ 
coveries show the 
Egyptians to have 
been familiar with 
steel in represent¬ 
ations of similar 
tools. Blue and red 
seemingly distin¬ 
guished between 
steel and bronze. 
In 1874 an iron 
wedge or plate was 
discovered em¬ 
bedded in the ma¬ 
sonry of the Great 
Pyramid, proving 
that the Egyptians 
produced and 
wrought iron 5400 
years ago in the 
time of King 
Cheops, 

Egyptian Sawyer at Work # Translations of 

the original Scriptures mention both iron and steel—“iron,” however, probably 


being really steel. . 

Steel is the only metal which could withstand the manipulation and 
strains in the manufacture and use of saws, and its employment is largely 
responsible for the wonderful development in the saw-making art. 
























Old Saw Mill Using Horse 
Power —Theatrum Mach- 
inarum Novum, 1662 


















































































Chinese Sawyers at Work 


















PART TWO 


Beginnings of the Modern Saw 




In their modern adaptations, the many kinds of saws may be divided into 
two general classes, viz., reciprocating and continuous action. As examples— 
the handsaw (reciprocating), circular and band-saws (continuous). Recipro¬ 
cating saws are naturally the oldest variety and more are in use than all others 
combined. This type may be again divided into “rip” and “cross-cut” saws. 
These are used respectively parallel with and at right angles to the “grain” or 
direction of the fibres. There are hundreds of styles of these saws in common 

use, each for a 
specific kind 
of work. In 
general, hand- 
saws cut on the 

Fig. 15 “push”—there 

being some few 

exceptions, constructed to cut on the “pull.” Fig. 15 illustrates a Japanese 
saw, similar in appearance to a butcher’s cleaver, with a long straight handle 
into which the shank or tang is driven and secured by wrapping with finely 
split cane. While different in shape, the metal is much the same as that used 
in other countries. 

To rip a plank, the Japanese carpenter places the end across a support, 
stands on the plank and operates the saw with both hands in a series of quick 
pulls. 

Fig. 16 shows a Jap¬ 
anese log-splitting saw (a 
type still in use). 

Horace Greeley mentions 
observing, while touring 
Europe, an 
Italian cut¬ 
ting wood by 
rubbing it 
against the 
saw. 

Hippoc¬ 
rates (B. C. 

460) is said 
to have in¬ 
vented the 
first cylinder 

or drum saw, for use in the operation of trepanning the skull. The modern 
uses of this type of saw comprise the cutting of all kinds of flat circular forms— 
button-blanks, corks, sheaves for blocks, etc.—as well as staves for barrels, 
tubs, buckets, etc. 

. The development of the saw has been more rapid in comparatively recent 
times than in any other period. The real beginning of modern wood-cutting 
types dated from the introduction of the power mill—the ordinary recipro¬ 
cating up and down paving the way for later improvement. Crude as were 
these old-fashioned upright saws, they were a big improvement over the 


Fig. 16 







The Saw in History 


Page 13 


previous method of sawing a log with one man in a pit beneath it and another 
standing above. The innovation caused considerable unrest in the labor 
world, hand-sawyers fearing that their employment was gone. 

The earliest mills were driven by wind power, but a 13th century manu¬ 
script shows a water-wheel saw. 

Germany had water-power mills as early as 1322 (Augsburg). Holland 

had saw-mills nearly a century be¬ 
fore England, where the workmen 
refused to permit their introduction. 
In 1663 a Hollander erected the first 
saw-mill in England, near London, 
but it had to be abandoned because 
of the riots it occasioned among the 
hand-sawyers. More than a century 
later, in 1768, a wind-power mill 
was erected for a lumber merchant 
by the name of Houghton, but this, 
too, was torn to pieces by a mob. 
The rioters were severely punished, 
and the owner reimbursed by the 
government, under whose protection 
several mills were built. 

With the discovery of Madeira, 
in 1420, saw-mills were erected there 
to make lumber for export to Portu¬ 
gal. Saw-mills were erected in 
Breslau, 1427; in 1490 by the 
magistrates of Erfurt in a forest 
which they had purchased; in Nor¬ 
way, 1530; at Holstein, 1547; Lyons, 
1555; Zaandam, Holland, 1596; and 
in Sweden around 1658. The rapid 
development of the early saws is 
seen in the fact that a gang-saw mill 
was built on the Danube, near Ratisbon, in 1575. Gang-saws, consisting of a 
number of blades to cut a log into boards with one operation, have been 
generally regarded as of later origin than this. However, in a work of Jacobi 
Bessoni (Lyons, 1878) are illustrated two types of gang-saw mills, the blades 
in one having teeth on both edges. These were only isolated instances, the 
average mill of the period having but one blade. 

America’s first saw-mill was built at the Falls of Piscatauqua, on the line 
between Maine and New Hampshire, in 1634. Unauthenticated records, how¬ 
ever, claim that as early as 1633, several mills were operating in New York 
State. Before the arrival of William Penn in 1681 saw-mills had been erected 
along the Delaware by the Dutch and Swedes. In 1803 there was a steam 
saw-mill in New Orleans, which met the fate of the early English mills, being 
burned by hand-sawyers. While a successful saw-mill was built in Glasgow, 
Scotland, in 1834, and others were established at subsequent dates, little 
progress was made in wood-cutting machinery until John McDowell put up 
a plant at Johnstown. He at once gained prominence by making the first 
frame-saws supplied to Glasgow as well as England—including the British 
Government. 

These mills were all of the vertical reciprocating type—the saws being 
strained along a strong rectangular frame driven along suitable guides by a 
crank on a revolving shaft, usually below the frame. A sliding carriage, 






















Page 14 


The Saw in History 


which automatically moved a certain 
distance at each stroke, carried the log. 
After each cut the log was moved later¬ 
ally, the distance corresponding to the 
thickness of the lumber being cut. Old- 
time sawyers will remember when logs 
had to be moved with a bar after each 
cut. 

At this time saw sharpening was a 
secret process. The sharpener worked 
in an isolated room and sawyers were 
required to ring a bell before being per¬ 
mitted to speak to him. 

These stories of these early mills 
have been recounted at considerable 
length because they are inseparably con¬ 
nected with the development and prog¬ 
ress of the saw-making art. The in¬ 
creasing requirements of the millmen 
necessitated a constant search on the 
part of saw manufacturers, not only for 
improvements in the design of their saws 
but also in the quality to meet the strains 
of greater speed and larger output. 
And one of the most important factors in 
modern progress has been the improve¬ 
ment in saw-making. 

The next great progressive step was 
the invention (or re-invention) of the 
circular saw. While the hand-saw is as 
old as history itself, the circular saw, as 
now used, is a comparatively recent in¬ 
novation. Circular saws were used for 
cutting the spaces between the teeth of 
clock wheels long before they were used 
for cutting wood (probably suggesting 
the milling machine now so universally used in gear-cutting). The earliest 
patent on circular saws is No. 1152, granted to Samuel Miller in England, 
August 5, 1777, although it is claimed that similar saws were in use in Holland 
nearly a century before. In any event, circular saws are believed to have been 
introduced into England for practical wood-cutting purposes about 1790. In 
1804 a man named Trotter secured a patent on a circular saw, and Sir Samuel 
Bentham (who later invented a circular saw made in segments) made a circular 
saw for the British Admiralty prior to 1800. Historians credit T. Brunei 
with first bringing circular saws into important service. He employed them 
for cutting ship’s blocks—an application adopted by the British Admiralty 
Board in 1804 for the Portsmouth Yard. Brunei patented a veneer-saw in 
1805, marking another advance. 

The first circular saw in this country is supposed to have been produced 
by Benjamin Cummins, about 1814, at Bentonsville, N. Y.—his facilities con¬ 
sisting solely of the ordinary tools and equipment of a blacksmith’s shop. 
The fate so often accorded great men was his, for he now lies in a lonely, 
secluded spot in the northwest corner of the cemetery of the little village of 
Richmond, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Half concealed from view by 
lilac bushes is a marble slab bearing only this simple inscription: “Benjamin 
Cummins, born 1772; died A. D. 1843.” 



Saw Mills 






















The Saw in History 


Page 15 



Type of Early Double Saw Mill 

The general use of circular saws for 
manufacturing lumber is supposed to 
have originated in a patent granted 
March 16, 1820, to Robert Eastman and 
J. Jaquith, of Brunswick, Me. Since 
then countless other circular saw-mill 
patents have been granted. 

Water and, later, steam was the 
motive power of these saws. Many 
years ago 48-inch circular saws, driven 
by “four horses walking around,” were 
used in our Western States. The out¬ 
put of these was from 500 to 1200 feet of 
lumber per day, depending upon the 
kind and quality of logs. 

The early circular saws were very 
crude, with square mandrel holes, and 
were made only to special order. From 
1840, however, progress was rapid—the 
development of the inserted tooth at 
about this time being one of the greatest 
progressive strides ever taken in saw¬ 
making. (See illustration). 

No really satisfactory method of 
holding the teeth in place was devised 
until 1859, when a man named Spauld¬ 
ing, while experimenting in Sacramento, 
Cal., discovered that curved sockets 
would hold the teeth firmly and securely. 
This method protects the plate also by 
reducing the tendency to crack. 

Early Types of Inserted Teeth for 
Circular Saws 













Page 16 


The Saw in History 



The problem still confronted the sawmakers, however, of reducing the time 
and power consumed, as well as the waste in sawdust, in converting logs into 
boards. Eventually, the perfecting of the band-saw proved to be the solution. 

William Newoerry, of 
London, England, patented the 
first endless band-saw in 1808, 
although his machine was never 
developed further than the model 
submitted to the Patent Office. Al¬ 
though Newberry was the first of 
modern times to see the possibilities 
of the band-saw, he cannot justly be 
said to have originated it. Archae¬ 
ologists have brought to light proof 
that in numerous instances the 
band-saw had been brought very 
nearly to its present form by ancient 
peoples. Then, too, in the patent 
papers of Sir Samuel Bentham in 
1791 and 1793 are many fore¬ 
runners of distinctly modern saws. 
The great difficulty, however, in 
making a smooth, strong joint in 
the steel band was a stumbling- 
block which arrested practical de- 
Original Band-Saw of 1808 velopment until Newberry’s time. 


To Perin, of Paris, is due the 
credit for the improvements which 
made the general use of the band¬ 
saw possible. The old difficulty in 
joining the blade so that it would 
run over the wheels without break¬ 
ing was not overcome until nearly 
forty years after Newberry gave this 
type of saw to the world. Then, 
about 1846, a Mile. Crepin, a French 
woman of great mechanical genius, 
secured in France a patent on a 
machine similar to Newberry’s. 
This patent was later obtained by 
Perin, and the saw greatly improved 
by him—a suitable joint was per¬ 
fected and the band-saw became a 
practical reality. 

The next important improve¬ 
ments were by Thouard, also of 
France, in 1842, when he put the 
band-saw on a commercially prac¬ 
tical form, but it was not until 
Perin’s final improvements were 
made that it became profitable for 
general use. 

These old band-saws, although 
giving increased output over the up- 
and-down gang saws and circular 



One of the first Band-Saw Machines for Mills 

































The Saw in History 


Page 17 



saws of the day, were quite small, crude, and limited in their work. The 
following typical incident shows the skepticism with which they were received: 

About 1860 a man named McCormick purchased a band-saw in England. 
After a very short 
while in service it was 
removed because it 
did not do the work 
expected (probably 
because of unskillful 
management). F or 
many years after¬ 
ward it surmounted 
the McCormick gar¬ 
den fence as a pointed 
reminder to unruly 
boys to keep out of 
the melon patch. 

One feature of 
the band-saw which 
rapidly popularized it 
with the mill-men 
was its thinness, 

which meant smaller One of the first Horizontal Band-Saws 

kerf and more boards 

from a log than with any other type of saw. 



An Early Mill 




















Page 18 


The Saw in History 


The fear at first felt by the operators of this type of saw soon passed, and 
as its use extended, improvements came rapidly. 

The large proportions and perfection of form of the present-day band-saws 
are strikingly shown in comparison with those even of so recent a period as 
1876. A 6-inch band-saw exhibited then at the Centennial Exposition by 
Henry Disston & Sons was considered a wonder; to-day the same firm is 
regularly making 18-inch band-saws—many of them toothed on both edges to 
cut the log coming and going. 

This up-to-date, speedy band-saw has increased the productivity of mills 
to a point never dreamed of by the mill-man of bygone days. To Henry 
Disston & Sons is due in no small part this modern development. Their im¬ 
proved equipment and methods of manufacture have added much to the 
efficiency of the saw. Through the medium of Disston band-saws the heavy 
demands on a modern lumber mill are easily met, and so the old-time quest 
for a more efficient type of saw has ended. 



PART THREE 




The Modern Saw 


We have now reached the point where the modern saws—the saws we 
know to-day—stand out as the most useful, the most necessary, the most 
wonderful of all man’s aids in conquering nature and furthering the needs and 
comforts of present-day civilization. 

A comparison of the saws of ancient times and the saws of to-day is 
startling to the 
average man 
who has not paid 
close attention 
to the saw in its 
present state of 
perfection. From 
the primitive 
stone implements 
illustrated in the 

early part of Fig- 17 — T ^ e D * sston D -8 Hand-Saw 

this article to 

the multitudinous variety of saws employed to-day, many of which we purpose 
illustrating and describing, is a tremendous advance. It shows clearly the 
extraordinary progress made by man in the comparatively short time he has 
inhabited the earth as compared with its reputed 100,000,000 years of existence. 

It is uni¬ 
versally ac¬ 
knowledged that 
the standard 
modern saws for 
the entire world 
are those made 
by Disston. 

Therefore a de¬ 
scription of the 
saws they manu¬ 
facture for vari¬ 
ous purposes— 
especially the 
saws they make 
for mill-men, up¬ 
on whom rests 
the burden of 
supplying the 
lumber require¬ 
ments of the 
world—will give 
the broadest con¬ 
ception of the 

saw as it is „ , _ , TT j ~ 

known to-day. Ear,y Types of Hand ' Saws 

In an earlier part we stated that saws came principally under two heads, 
viz., reciprocating and continuous. These again may be divided into other 
classes. 






The Saw in History 


Page 20 


First, we will consider those saws which come under the type of recipro¬ 
cating, for saws of this kind are the more generally used. 

The hand-saw, of which the Disston No. 7 and D-8 are distinctively the 
representative types, is now the companion of every mechanic who has any- 


- 



thing to do 
with wood in 
his daily 
work. We 
may safely 
say that it is 
also found in Fig. 18 

a vast majority of the homes of the entire world. 

Broadly speaking, the term hand-saws includes such saws as buck, hack, 
keyhole, plumber’s, back, pruning saws in different forms, and many others 
for special purposes. The cross-cut or long saw and pit saw may also be 
included under this head. 

Although each of these types is of essentially different construction from 
the others, because of the nature of the work it is called upon to do, the 

principal and 


common origin 
are the same. 

All modern 
hand-saws, ex¬ 
cept those of the 
Japanese, cut on 
the push or the 
stroke away 
from the user. 
While the 

oldest civilized peoples in the world—the Egyptians, the Chinese and the 
Japanese—used a form of saw having the teeth inclined toward the handle, 
this form was not universal, as is evidenced by the saws exhumed from the 
ruins of Pompeii, and now preserved in the museum there. These saws cut 
on the thrust, just as those in use in Europe and America to-day. 

The standard type of hand-saw (Fig. 17) is, of course, a direct develop¬ 
ment of the piece of stone with a serrated edge as used in ancient times. Its 
present shape, which differs somewhat from the earlier type of hand-saw, 
as will be noticed by reference to group illustration, is an invention of Henry 
Disston. Since he originated it, this form has been widely copied, but with¬ 
out success in securing the same correct hang, which affords the wondeiful 
ease in handling, and without equaling the exceptional quality of the steel. 

Making the blade skewback, as it is termed, lessens the weight of the 
blade and gives proper balance as well. The “let-in” handle gives better 
control over the saw and the peculiar shape of the butt or heel allows full 
sweep of the blade without danger of its catching in the work. 

The amount of work which can be accomplished with one of these modern 
saws-as compared to the old-time forms is wonderful, and could primitive man, 
who roamed the forests ages ago, have armed himself with one of them, the 
story of civilization’s advance might have been vastly different. 

Reference to old-time pit-saws, as previously illustrated, and that in Fig. 
18, will show that this saw, as used to-day, has made little progress, in form at 
least, over the type used before power-mills came into existence. Quality of 
steel, style of teeth, and improved methods of tempering and sharpening have, 
of course, made it a more efficient saw, but these embrace about the only 



One of the First Saws Made by Henry Disston 







The Saw in History 


Page 21 



changes made since the days when King Solomon’s temple builders 
employed it in their work. Naturally, there is not much call for a 
saw of this kind now and it is almost obsolete. The cross-cut or 
long saw fells the trees, cuts them to desired lengths, and then the 
circular or band-saw transforms them into lumber more quickly and 


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JJwi 




uniformly than two men 
and an old-time pit saw 
could. With a modern 
mill of even medium capa¬ 
city the output will be 
more in one day than'these 
two men, in bygone days, 
could have done in months 
with their old-fashioned 
pit saw. 

The cross-cut saw, 
which is of the recipro¬ 
cating type, cuts on both 
strokes, and is another 
saw that retains its origi¬ 
nal form to a great extent; 
its improvements being 
represented by new 
methods of grinding, 



Fig. 20—Chain Saw, Open and Closed 




' ..... r-.Uf 


(Cw ! 

The “Suwanee”—the Most Modern Type of Cross-Cut Saws 



hardening and tempering, and many new forms of teeth. We show a few 
examples of the many styles of teeth; different countries and various woods 
requiring special teeth. There is probably no other saw that is equipped with 
so many 
varieties of 
teeth as 
long saws. 

The early 
history of 
the cross¬ 
cut SaW is twvm»m\\YWVY\H\\vvvvvu\vvvvv\uvYvm\\vv>'W\»snvvvvvvnv^wvvvvvYVYVvvvvvv\v Mitre-Box Saw 
obscure— 

its actual beginning is lost in the misty past, and the oldest saw-makers of 











































































































































































Page 22 


The Saw in History 


today agree on only one point—that they have made cross-cut saws as long 
as they have been in business. 

The demand for something better and more efficient, which the world’s 
progress has constantly created, was the source of all great inventions and 
improvements. The felling of timber by the axe, with its resultant waste, 
great expenditure of labor and loss of time, led inevitably to the development 
of cross-cut saws. To the old up-and-down saw and the still earlier pit saw 
can probably be ascribed the direct inspiration. 

Though saw-makers remember cross-cut saws as far back as they can 
recollect, the saws were always made of untempered steel. Henry Disston 
added their manufacture to his business. He, the first to give real strength 
and efficiency, also actually gave the cross-cut saw its first great start. 

For many years it has been gradually supplanting the axe in the felling 
of trees, for it enables the lumberman to do quicker, cleaner work and saves 
the wood. In Fig. 19 will be seen two old-time cross-cut saws. The handles 
on the lower saw, merely a modification of the hand-saw type, afford the best 
clue to its age. The upper saw, while a great improvement over the earlier 
forms, lacks the finer points of quality and efficiency which distinguish the 
distinctly modern cross-cut saw. 

Today the immense plant which Henry Disston founded is sending the 
cross-cut saws they manufacture, with teeth adapted for every sort of wood, 
to all the inhabitable parts of the earth where there are forests to cut or lumber 
to be made. 

One of the most important of the advances in cross-cut or long saw 
making was the introduction of the raker tooth. While many cross-cut saws 
are still made without the raker, it is really so necessary for quick clearing 
action that its use will probably become much more general. On green timber 
especially it insures faster cutting. 

While the cross-cut saw finally has practically replaced the axe for felling 
and cutting up trees, its use is not by any means confined to this work. 

A curious modification of the cross-cut saw is the chain saw. This is used 
chiefly by the military—the American, French, and other army engineers 
being equipped with it. The chain saw consists of a series of links (see Fig. 20), 
each*fitted with saw teeth. When ready for operation a handle is attached to 
each end, the saw stretched against the tree, and worked back and forth. A 
tree, interfering with the movements of troops, can be cut away by two men 
in a comparatively short time with a chain saw. It is compact, and serviceable 
for this purpose, but would not meet the requirements of more extensive work. 

The chain saw, in suitable form, is also used by surgeons for operations on 
the human skull, and by veterinary surgeons for bone cutting. It has been 
superseded, to a certain extent, by Stohlmann’s bone saw, but is still widely 
used. Stohlmann’s saw consists of a steel wire, upon which are strung steel 
discs or beads with sharp cutting edges. There is a handle on each end, and 

Under the head of re¬ 
ciprocating hand-saws we find 
a long line of smaller saws for 
various purposes. Among the 
largest of these is a combina¬ 
tion saw, cutting both wood 
and metal, for the special use 
of plumbers. The fine teeth 
on one edge are adapted for 
cutting lead pipe, nails, etc., while the coarser teeth on the other edge are for 
sawing wood. 


its manner of use is similar to the chain saw. 



Plumber’s Combination Saw 





The Saw in History 


Page 23 






Then there are several forms and sizes of back saw. This type is used for 
very fine cutting requiring a straight or even saw cut. The blade being so 
thin, it is necessary to have a back of steel or brass to prevent its buckling. 
The larger Back Saws, 20 inches or larger, are commonly known as Mitre-Box 
Saws. The special 
shape of the butt or 
heel in these saws 
prevents its catch¬ 
ing in the work. 

The Compass 
Saw is a useful little 
tool, having a fine, taper¬ 
ing blade. This saw is 
used principally for cut¬ 
ting circles where it is 
first necessary to make a 
hole with a center-bit. 

Another form of the 
Compass Saw is one with 
an adjustable blade. Not 
only can different blades be 
easily substituted but the 
blade itself can be adjusted 
to various angles in relation 
to the handle. Somewhat similar to a 
Compass Saw is a small saw called Key¬ 
hole or Pad Saw. This has a handle 

with a socket large enough to receive , _ , 

& & Keyhole Saw and Pad 






Nest of Saws 


Adjustable Compass Saw 


Compass Saw 



Stair Builder’s Saw 


the saw blade. The blade, 
which is adjustable to any 
length, is held in position for 
use by the tightening of a 
thumbscrew. Disston makes 
a variety of these saws. * One 
end of the blade can be used 
as a screwdriver, which is 
brought into position by 
simply loosening thumb¬ 
screw, pushing blade 
through the handle, and 
tightening screw again. 

Another variation of 
the Compass Saw is the 
Nest of Saws. This nest is 
a combination of one handle 
and several different styles of 
small blades which can be ad¬ 
justed to the handle, accord¬ 
ing to the size and kind of 
work to be done. These 
blades are of the keyhole, 
compass, and pruning types, 
and form a compact and 
handy tool. Still another 


















Page 24 


The Saw in History 


variation is the Square Hole Saw. The tooth edge on the heel end of the 
blade being at right angles to the rest of the blade, both angles of the corner 

are cut at the same time. 

The accompanying 
illustrations show other 
curious forms of small size 
saws, each made to meet 
a special requirement. 
These include Pattern 


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Joiner Saw 

Maker’s, Dovetail, Turkish, and Stair Builder’s saws. 

The Turkish Saw is used in Turkey and other Oriental countries. Its 
teeth are fitted for cutting toward the handle as required by these peoples. 
The Stair Builder’s Saw is adjustable for depth of cut, and is used for cutting 
the bottom or base of balustrades when it is necessary to fit them to treads 
of stairs. 

Another saw illustrated here is the Joiner Saw. This is employed by 

cabinet-makers for making joints 



where extremely fine cutting is 
necessary. 

Special saws are also made to 
help the agriculturist. These are 
saws intended for pruning. Some 
are toothed on one edge only; others 
have both edges toothed with 
different styles of teeth, adapted for 
dry and green wood. A special type 
of crescent shaped pruning saw is 
made, principally for pruning orange 
trees, as it makes what is termed a 
“draw-cut.” That is, the teeth are 
inclined toward the handle, which 


draws them into light branches, instead of pushing the branches away as an 
ordinary saw would do. 

There is also a combination hook and saw made for pruning trees, and 
intended for use on the end of a long pole. This is obtainable with either 
straight or curved tooth edge on the saw. 

Other peculiar forms of saws include the gauge saw, which has an adjust¬ 
able gauge, making it particularly adaptable to tenoning, shouldering, dove¬ 
tailing, curving, cog-cutting, or any purpose where a definite depth of cut is 
required; the Movable Back Saw, on which the back is detachable, making it 
convertible for use either as a back saw or ordinary hand-saw; and the Combi¬ 
nation Saw, a saw that is equipped for use not only as a hand-saw, but also 
with the following tool attachments: square and rule, straight-edge, scratch 
awl. plumb and level. Where these tools are wanted in a compact form, 
nothing equals this saw. Then there is the Flooring Saw, adapted by reason - 
of its extreme round breast, on tooth 
edge, to cutting through floors without 
the use of chisel or auger. 

The next type of reciprocating saw 
is the “tension” type. Tension saws are 
those which have a narrow, thin blade 
strained in a frame of wood or metal. 

The oldest, and most generally known, 
form of this kind of saw is the Buck or 
Wood Saw. The origin of the Buck Saw, if 



Web Saw 



















The Saw in History 


Page 25 



Blade in This Frame Can Be Turned at 
Right Angles to Frame 





Extension Hack Saw Frame 


we are to believe the drawing upon that ancient tomb previously described, goes 
back into the very beginning of history. It is claimed by students of antiquity 
that frame saws were common in Egypt many centuries prior to the executing 
of the drawing at Herculaneum. There is no doubt that it is one of the oldest 
forms of saws. Its usefulness has been proved by many generations, as can be 
testified to by thousands of farmer boys, and though its place is being taken, 
to an increasing extent, on the farm of today, by the small circular saw, there 
are still great numbers of Buck Saws sold and used. 

Fig. 22 shows an excellent 
type of this saw in its modern 
form. Compare it with the 
ancient saw in Fig. 5, page 6. 

An interesting saw that 
comes under this head is the 
Web Saw. In some foreign 
countries this saw is used al¬ 
most entirely as a general 
hand-saw. In fact, they are 
very partial to this type of saw, 
and many continue to use it, 
after coming to America, in pre¬ 
ference to the usual type of 
hand-saw. 

Another saw widely used 
and practically indispensable for 
metal cutting is the Hack Saw. 

The demand for saws for cutting 
metal has been constantly in¬ 
creasing from-year to year owing to 
the great 'variety of purposes for 
which iron, steel, and other metals 
are being adopted. 

Some years back the working 
of metal to size was done by what 
may now be considered a very crude, 
laborious, and expensive method. 

It was usually done in a blacksmith 
shop, the smaller work being forged 
to shape, the larger sheared off and 
dressed up with a file, while in such 
cases where joints or mitres were desired on beams, etc., the work was sheared to 
length, the required angles then cut on a shaper or planer. This method afterward 
gave way to the adoption of shears, but this did not make an accurate angle and 
necessitated dressing off. All of these methods consumed considerable time. 

The use of Hand Hack Saws and Circular Saws for cutting metal has 
rendered possible to the greatest extent the employment of metals in the 
trades. Modern appliances for shaping and cutting with this class of tool 
have reduced to a nominal figure the hitherto prohibitive cost; the work being 
done with greater ease, more accurately, and in much less time. 

Hack Saw blades, ordinarily, are narrow in width, and from 6 to 16 inches 
in length; some are hardened throughout, and others on tooth-edge only, 
leaving the back soft. 

Like other modern forms of saws, the actual beginning of the Hack Saw 
does not seem to have been recorded. There is a tradition that the first one 
was made in Ireland, but as the Irish have not been noted for mechanical pro- 



. v-.. 

ttm rrrvvvvr+inrvtr 

Rail Hack Saw 


















Page 26 


The Saw in History 



ductions of this kind, the rumor very probably started with some enthusiastic 
son of the Emerald Isle. Old catalogs show that in England complete Hack 
Saws were made in 1770, and as the industry was then well established it 
seems impossible to locate the exact origin of the Hack Saw. Its later history, 
though more complete, naturally 
lacks the romance that is attached 
to the beginning and early life-story 
of any product. ' It is certain, how¬ 
ever, that the early blades were im¬ 
ported into the United States before 
they were made here. These im¬ 
ported blades were polished similar 
to butcher saw blades and intended 
to be resharpened as required: 
though it— is stated that the old 
English Hack Saw Blade was ex¬ 
tremely thick, having coarse teeth, 
very little set, and was slow-cutting 

and heavy to work. Pork Packer’s Saw 

Over fifty years ago Henry 
Disston was making the hollow or 
concave ground Hack Saw Blade, 
and even today, for particular work, 
where accuracy is desired, they are 
still used and recommended. They 
are made of high quality steel, which is 
especially suitable for hack saws, and 
have milled teeth; the blade is hollow- 
ground to run without set, and 
tempered so it may be refiled. This 
is the highest type of Hack Saw Blade. Kitchen Saw 

It was about the early eighties 

that the first Hack Saw blades, somewhat similar to those of today, were made. 
These were produced at a comparatively low price, and were so hard they could 
not be refiled; it being cheaper, in fact, for the mechanic to throw away the dull 
blade than to spend his time in resharpening, even if possible. Extra narrow 
Hack Saw Blades, inch wide, varying in thickness and number of points 
to the inch, also are made especially for the use of lock-makers and jewelers. 

Metal saws are also made in the form of the regular carpenter’s hand-saw, 
and in the shape of Back or Tenon saws. These are of a special steel and 
temper, ground thin toward the back, and may be resharpened with a good file. 
Tenon saws of this class are principally used in mitre-boxes for the manufacture 
of show cases, etc., while the hand metal saws are for purposes where a framed 
Hack Saw cannot conveniently be used. Large saws, in the form of long hand¬ 
saws, are also made for cutting metal, and may be operated by two men in the 
same manner as a cross-cut saw; the handle for small end of saw being adjust¬ 
able, can be attached or detached at will. These are principally used in foundries 
for sawing “gates” and other parts from large castings. 

In use, the Hack Saw Blade is strained in a frame. There are many 
different forms of frames; some having a solid steel back, and others extension 
backs, taking in blades of different lengths. Some are so constructed that the 
blade can be turned at right angle to the frame. Another style is termed the 
Rail Hack Saw. This has a frame varying from 9 to 18 inches from tooth edge 
of blade to inside of back, and is used in construction work for cutting steel 
rails and beams. 
















The Saw in History 


Page 27 


The first Hack Saw, or metal-cutting blades for power machines, were 
manufactured in the Disston plant at least a quarter of a century ago. 

They were made 
especially for 
building the 
City Hall Tower, 
Philadelphia, 
and the Con¬ 
gressional Libra¬ 
ry, Washington, 
D.C. Their use¬ 
fulness was im¬ 
mediately ap¬ 
parent, and the 
demand spread 
rapidly. Today 
the frame Hack 
Saw and Ma¬ 
chine Saw, for 

cutting all sizes and kinds of metal, have almost entirely supplanted the old 
method of nicking and breaking, or cutting off in a lathe. 

Circular 





Mulay Saw 


'’’S 

TrfTyy 

Mill Saw 



—-— 






Futtock Saw 


Whip Saw 




Drag Saw 



Gang Saw 


"Jl-l- 1<W fc L-U I l 


Deal Saw 


and Band Saws 
are also exten¬ 
sively used for 
cutting metal. 
These will be de¬ 
scribed later, how¬ 
ever, under the head¬ 
ing of Continuous 
Action Saws. 

Closely allied in 
form to the Hack Saw is the 
_ Butcher Saw. The Butcher 
j Saw, though chiefly used 
for bone-cutting, as its 
name would imply, actually 
derived the name from its 
originator, R. G. Butcher, a 
Dublin surgeon. This saw is 
quite similar to the Hack Saw, 
but on a larger scale, and it 
may have been the invention 
of it by Dr. Butcher, before 
Hack Saws came into use, 
which led to the rumor that 
Hack Saws (intended only for metal 
cutting) were invented in Ireland. 

The difference between these 
two saws is really very slight. Owing 
to the softer nature of the material 
a Butcher Saw is required to cut, it 
is not necessary to have as high a 
temper in the blade as the hack saw. 
The blade of the Hack Saw, on the 



























Page 28 


The Saw in History 


other hand, is made very hard. The frame of the Butcher Saw is longer also, 
and the distance between the blade and the back is greater. 

Quite similar to the Butcher Saw is the Beef Splitter. This has a handle at 
each end and is operated by two men to split the beef carcass before cutting up. 

The Kitchen Saw is an adaptation of the Butcher Saw, which it resembles 
on a small scale, for the home. It is probably used most in country homes, but 
a saw of such general convenience is bound to increase in popularity. 

Another variation of the Butcher Saw is found in the Pork Packer’s Saw. 
This saw is slightly smaller in size, and tapers toward the end. Its name 
amply explains its use, as it is employed by pork butchers for cutting up pork. 

A peculiar form of this type of saw is found in the De-horning Saw. This 
saw has a blade only 934 inches long and 34 inch wide. It is used by farmers 
and stockmen to remove, or shorten, the horns on cattle. 

A tool that is classed with these bone and meat-cutting saws, and yet is 
more than a saw, is the Saw-knife. This is a knife with double-cutting edge, 
coming to a point at the end. One edge, however, is toothed for sawing, while 
the other is used for ordinary cutting. 

A variation of the Saw-knife is the Subcutaneous Saw for surgical use. 
This saw has a pistol-grip handle in which is inserted a round steel shaft. 
Near the outer end the shaft is flattened—the upper part having a knife edge; 
the lower, saw-teeth. 

Before dismissing the narrow-blade type of saw, we must refer briefly to 
Fret, Scroll, and Jig Saws, which are highly useful in the ornamental wood¬ 
working industry. The Fret Saw, in fact, has been referred to as the fore¬ 
runner of the Hack Saw. 

As a matter of fact, Fret, Scroll, and Jig Saws are very similar, and are 
used for practically the same purpose. The Fret Saw blade is extremely 
narrow, and made from y^-inch wide up. The narrowest blades, while 
having teeth, appear to be merely a wire. The Fret Saw is used almost always 
by hand. It is delicate in construction, and is employed only on the finer kinds 
of work. The Scroll Saw, the blades of which are somewhat wider, is used on 
heavier work, and, although frequently worked by hand, is also used in a 
machine run by foot or other power. The Jig Saw, though often confused 
with the Fret and Scroll Saws, is distinctly a machine saw, and is used on all 
heavy work. The blade on a Jig Saw is ground thinner toward the back. 

The blades of all these saws consist of a thin ribbon of steel, toothed on one 
edge, and, for use by hand, are stretched in a frame which is made of consider¬ 
able depth between blade and back. They are especially adapted to sawing 
curved outlines and cutting out interior pieces. 

The Jig Saw resembles Fret and Scroll Saws mainly in the purposes for 



Pond Ice Saw 


which it is used. It is a sawing machine with a narrow, vertical, reciprocating 
saw blade, on which curved and irregular lines and patterns in openwork are 
cut. It is especially adapted to cutting interior portions which necessitate 
first passing the saw through a hole. Jig Saws, with suitable blades, are 
employed in both wood and metal work. 









Page 29 


The Saw in History 


A species of Fret Saw is the Buhl Saw. The name of this saw is derived 
from Andre Buhl, an Italian. He was celebrated throughout France, in the 
reign of Louis XIV, for inlaid work in wood. The saw, which is named for 
him, has a very deep frame, with a short blade, and is specially made for this 
class of work. 



Hand Ice Saw 


The men who cut the great ice harvests of the country must depend as 
much on saws as do the lumbermen. Saws especially adapted to the cutting 
of ice are made in two forms. One, averaging from 3 to 6 feet in length, is used 
with a Tiller Handle, which has a double grip, and is principally employed for 
the heavier cutting in the ice-field. The other is made in the form of a hand¬ 
saw. This form is convenient for one-man use when resawing of the ice-cakes 
is required, or where the ice-field is but a small one. These Hand Ice Saws are 
also used by manufacturers of artificial ice. The teeth of both are the same— 
extra large, strong and easy-cutting. Reference to illustrations will show how 
these differ from ordinary saw-teeth. 

Under the head of Reciprocating Saws come also the Mulay (or Muley), 
the Mill, and the Gang Saw—all of which are familiar to mill-men. These 
saws, while better made today in every particular, are simply the outgrowth 
of the early types used in the first power mills. These are illustrated on page 
27. A comparison of the teeth, will show that they differ more in the purposes 
for which they are used than in appearance. 

The Mill Saw represents the earliest type of reciprocating saw. One is 
run in a frame, although occasionally two have been run together, but that is 
the exception. Gang Saws are used in sets of two machines, one for slabbing, 
the other for finishing the logs. In the slabber about six saws afe run together 
in a frame, three on each side of the log, and the flat gang contains from twenty 
to forty saws—according to the size of the timber. A number of saWs thus 
acting together save a vast amount of time and labor. Of course, they do not 
equal in efficiency the Band or Circular Saw, but are still used extensively— 
especially on tough timber. The Gang Saw is shorter and lighter in thickness 
than the Mill and Mulay saws. 

The Mulay Saw is an upright mill-saw, slightly wider; but not being 
strained in a frame is capable of quicker reciprocating action. The shape of 
the teeth is about the same in all these saws, though the spacing in the Gang 



Saws is finer than the Mill or Mulay. 

There are several other saws of special form for wood-cutting that, though 
not widely used, cannot be overlooked in a history of the saw. These 
include the Futtock Saw, the blade of which is held in a frame, and is 


One-man Cross-Cut Saw 














Page 30 


The Saw in History 


used by hand; the Deal Saw, which is used as a Gang Saw, but is smaller in 
length than the usual Gang; the Whip Saw, similar to the Pit Saw, but narrower 
in width, used by shipbuilders for cutting shapes, etc.; and the Drag Saw, a saw 
which is used horizontally, one end being attached to a rod, or pitman, and the 
end of the rod in turn attached to the side of a wheel near the rim. The rotat¬ 
ing of the wheel operates the rod like a piston and so works the saw with a 
reciprocating motion. It is usually used to cut logs into various lengths as 
may be desired. Drag Saws are made in two forms; that is, parallel in width 
and tapering. The tapering type, lighter in gauge or thickness, is used in a 
machine, principally for cutting cord wood. There is also a Portable Drag 
Saw Machine for cutting down trees as well as cutting the logs to mill lengths. 

A combination of the Long Saw and the Hand-Saw is found in the One- 
man Cross-cut Saw. The Teeth in this saw are of regular cross-cut saw design, 
but the blade is shorter in length, making it adaptable for easy use by one man. 

Though the Egyptians are supposed to have cut stone with saws, there is 
no authentic record earlier than that of the building of the palace of Mausolus 
—already referred to—about 350 B.C. There is no question, however, that it 
is a very ancient art. Since those early days the sawing of stone has rapidly 
progressed, until today the industry is a vast one. 

The modern Stone-saw—or saw for cutting stone—exists in a number of 
forms. The circular type will be taken up later, as we are now considering 
only saws of reciprocating action. 

The ordinary Stone-Saw is fashioned very much after the pattern of a 
Buck Saw. The blade, however, is toothless, and made of mild steel about 
inch in thickness. In use, various abrasive materials, such as sand, shot, etc., 
are fed in to do the cutting under the pressure and friction of this blade. 

While it may seem an anomaly to saw without teeth, since even prehistoric 
man endeavored to cut teeth in his rude saw, it is not a new idea or discovery. 
The early American Indian sawed by friction, through the use of sand, or a thin 
piece of material harder than that being cut. Among the ancient Mexicans 
and other early tribes stones were sawed, shaped, polished, carved, and per¬ 
forated entirely by friction. It is only another case of the modern saw being 
the outcome of some ancient form. 

There are machine saws for cutting stone similar to mill Gang Saws—that 
is, several blades strained in a frame—with the exception that the teeth are 
absent, and the saws operate in a horizontal position. Sawing, of course, is 
only one of many ways in which the modern artisan cuts stone, but with these 
other methods we are not now concerned. Stone saws of the reciprocating 
type are also made with inserted teeth, in each of which a black diamond is 
embedded to do the cutting. 

In addition to the Chain Saw, and the Subcutaneous Saw already referred 
to, the surgeon requires many saws for his special work. Nickelplated surgical 
saws, extremely small in size, are used in operations on the nose and other parts 
of the body. These saws are made in a large variety of shapes, according to 
the uses to which they are put; all have exceptionally slender blades. 

To what extent the usefulness of the reciprocating form of saw has grown is 
illustrated by the adaptation of this indispensable tool to scientific investigation. 

It has long been a problem why some varieties of grain and plants resist 
the attacks of insects and various plant diseases better than others. This has 
recently been solved by Dr. F. Stranak, of the Bohemian Technical High 
School, of Prague, through the use of a tiny, specially constructed saw. The 
little saw is mounted upon an arm on a delicate machine made for the purpose. 
By the assistance of a system of weights the exact resistance to the action of 
the saw can be determined. 

This tiny saw, which measures only one-tenth of a millimeter in width, 



The Saw in History 


Page 31 




has been arranged to cut the skin of a grain or of a plant stalk much as the 
jaws of an insect would do. It has demonstrated that a plant’s resistance to 
insects and disease depends entirely upon the hardness of the protecting skin. 

As a matter of interest, it may be stated that while there is a general under¬ 
standing in the hardware trade that Hand Saws are 26 inches long, and Rip 
Saws 28 inches or longer, this is not carried out by fact. There are a great 
many Rip Saws made in shorter lengths, such as 22 and 24-inch, for the term 
“Rip” applies to shape and style of tooth only and not to the length of the saw. 
Likewise, the Cross-Cut, or Cutting-off saws, may be made in any length desired. 

The graduation of the teeth in Rip Saws is for the purpose of enabling the 
user to start the saw in the work more easily by commencing the cut with the 
end, or point, of blade, where the teeth are somewhat finer than those at the butt. 

The illustrations show the method of 
laying-out Rip Saw Teeth and Cross-Cut Saw 
Teeth. The angles for the teeth remain the 
same as in these sketches for all sizes of teeth. 
It will be noted that the Rip Saw Tooth is 
made with a straight front, while the front of 
the Cross-Cut Saw Tooth is given a slight pitch, or rake. 

Another thing not generally understood in saws is the relation of teeth 
and “points.” On examining a saw it will be noticed that in 1-inch space there 
is one tooth less than there are “points.” Saws are always ordered by the 
number of “points” to the inch. 

Rip Saw Teeth are graduated from butt to point of blade, the narrow end 
being one “point” to the inch finer than at the butt. The “points” are, there¬ 
fore, measured at butt of blade. 

The question has often been asked: 

“Of what use is the ‘Nib’ near the end 
of a hand-saw?” It is of no practical use; 
merely serving to break the straight 
line of the back of the blade and is 
only ornamental. 

Continuous Action Saws 

Only the oldest forms of saws have 
so far been described—the recipro¬ 
cating types or those principally used 
by hand to cut on the thrust or pull. 

We now come to that class which 
revolutionized the dividing or sawing 
of large timber into boards, planks, or 
heavy lumber—continuous action saws, 
both circular and band. 













Page 32 


The Saw in History 




Those who have followed this story from the beginning will readily con¬ 
ceive the saving of time and labor effected by continuous action saws as against 
the reciprocating type. Moreover, the former not only lessens the cost of 

making lumber, thus in¬ 
creasing its general use and 
advancing the industry, but 
enables the production of 
more lumber from the log 
by reason of greater econo¬ 
my in sawing—a thinner 
kerf reducing the waste in 
the shape of sawdust. 

It is reasonable to say 
that owing to the demand, 
lumber today would be held 
at a price prohibitive to the 
general public were it not 
for the great improvement 
in the methods of its manu¬ 
facture. 

The principal types of 
continuous action saws are 
the Circular, a rotating disc; 
the Cylindrical, or barrel¬ 
shaped; and the Band Saw, 
which is a continuous rib- 

r 11 . T r . . 0 bon of steel running on two 

Gullet Tooth Circular Saw wheels 

The solid tooth Circular Saw is the first form of continuous action gaws, 
and even today is used to a greater extent than others owing to the variety of 
its work, though as time progressed the solid tooth gave way, in a measure, to 
the inserted (or removable) tooth for some kinds of sawing, which will be 
described later. 

To quote from “Grimshaw on Saws:” 

“During all the centuries which witnessed the birth and rise, the haughty 
supremacy and the fall of nations in successive turns, no important change 
was made for the better in the manufacture of saws, until, in 1790, a device 
was brought out by Brunei, by which cutting should be continuous. In other 
words, the application of the rotary principle to power-driven saws was then 
given practically to the world. While the circular saw was first practically 
used in Holland, its development is due to England and America—especially 
the latter. 

“The Circular or ‘Buzz’ Saw, not having inertia to over¬ 
come in revolving, has a higher cutting speed of teeth than the 
reciprocating, besides the advantage of continuous cutting.” 

The early type of Circular Saw can hardly be compared 
with those of today, so great has been the advance in manu¬ 
facture. Picture to yourself the old style saw, a crude, round 
sheet of metal hammered flat on the anvil, and with roughly 
punched-out teeth. Then examine the efficient saw of today, 
made of a high-grade steel peculiarly adapted to withstand 
the severe strains to which Circular Saws are subjected, 
ground on automatic machinery, making the saws perfectly uniform in thiJgfcss 
throughout, or giving the blade an accurate taper from thick on the tootmedge 
to thin near center, or the reverse. Then, again, this machine may be ad- 


Special Grooving 
Saw 




The Saw in History 


Page 33 


justed to grind the saw perfectly flat on one side and tapered on the other. 
This automatic method of grinding fully insures that true and perfect balance 
which is also an absolute requisite in a saw for straight cutting when running 
at a high rate of speed. 

It has not been so many years since Circular Saws were run at only one- 
third the speed they are today. It was, indeed, rough lumber they made in 
those days. The feeding of the log to the saw was done by the crude “jab,” 
rack and pinion feed, while now steam is used in what is termed “shotgun 
feed” and “twin engine feed”—producing thousands of feet of well-cut, 
smooth lumber in less time than it took the old saw-mill to cut a few feet. 

The question of high rate of speed brings up an important feature not 



known in the early days, and that is “tensioning” for the speed at which the 
saw is to run. The earlier saws were made flat and very heavy or thick 
throughout, many of them being as heavy as No. 3 or 4 gauge, and being run 
at a comparatively low rate of speed, were not affected by centrifugal force. 
Consequently they were hammered flat, or without “tension.” Whereas, the 
circular saw of today not only is made much thinner (large saws as thin as 9 
and 10 gauge being nothing unusual), but is run at a much higher rate of speed, 
the present recognized standard being 10,000 feet rim travel , where formerly 
4,00C feet per minute was considered high. But many saws are run as high as 
15,000 feet per minute, but with greatly increased risk to saw and equipment. 
Therefore, it is so hammered or ten¬ 
sioned that the center is left suffici¬ 
ently “open” to offset centrifugal 
force when the saw is revolved up to 
high speed, thus keeping the edge 
strained on a true line, otherwise the 
saw would not run smoothly or cut 
straight. 

Another great improvement is 
in the tooth. Instead of the ordi¬ 
nary V-shaped tooth, there are 
hundreds of patterns or special 
shapes for ripping, special styles for 
cross-cutting—each made on scien¬ 
tific lines to give the necessary 
“pitch,” and lead into the cut, as 
well as ample throat room for carry¬ 
ing out the saw-dust to prevent 
choking; special sizes or number of 
teeth according to the class or 
character of the wood to be sawn, 
and also the amount of feed used. 

And further, note in the larger 
teeth how ample backing is given each tooth for the reason that, in taking a 
heavier “bite,” more strength is required. 



Fig. 23 











Page 34 


The Saw in History 




An idea originated and patented some years ago by Henry Disston, and 
one which lengthens the life of the saw, is the gullet tooth. This, when re¬ 
quired, being gummed or chambered on spiral lines by a light handworking 
machine, styled a Cummer, causes considerable saving of the saw-plate, for in 

gumming, the steel is cut 
down chiefly in the throat 
of the tooth in a direction 
around the blade instead 
of down and directly to¬ 
ward the center, as is the 
case in ordinary methods. 

These advances, made 
from time to time, are the 
result of scientific research 
and experiment, looking 
to the accomplishment of 
the greatest results in the 
shortest time, at minimum 
power consumption and 
expense, and last, but not 
least, the economical saw¬ 
ing of the timber. 

As stated before, the 
solid tooth types of the 
Circular Saw are the ones 
most commonly used, for 
the reason that they are 
Circular Cross-Cut Saw applied to the greatest 

variety of work. These can be divided into two principal classes—those in¬ 
tended for the sawing of wood, and those adapted to metal cutting. In both 
these classes the range of sizes is great; the wood-cutting saws varying from 
1 inch in diameter to the imposing Circular Saw 84 inches and larger for the 
sawing of big timber. The solid tooth Circular Saws for cutting metal, while 
not running in such large sizes (5 feet being usually the maximum diameter, and 
from that down to inches), are notable for the character of work they per¬ 
form, a feature which will be taken up 
further on in this history. 

Considering first the Circular 
Saws for use on wood, we will de¬ 
scribe, in turn, the different varieties, 
their forms and uses. 

In the front rank, by reason of 
their size and more general use, are 
the large Gullet Tooth Saws used in 
cutting logs into lumber, the im¬ 
portant characteristics of which we 
have described in the forepart of this 
article. 

Reference to Fig. 23 will show Shingle Saw and Method of Attach^ 
some of the general styles of teeth It to Flange 

with which solid tooth Circular Saws are equipped. Each one of these is 
adapted to some special kind of work—ripping or cross-cutting, hard or soft 
wood—being formed to produce the best and greatest results under proper 
conditions. • 

Shingle and Heading Saws, which come in diameters of 30 to 60 inches, are 







The Saw in History 


Page 35 


reinforced on the side away from the block from which the shingles are being 
cut with a flange or collar. This is firmly attached to the saw blade by 
means of screws which are countersunk into the blade on the block side. Such 
saws are used in shingle machines on which shingles are cut from the log or 
block. Shingle saws are frequently set at intervals around a turn-table. Upon 
the table as many as twelve blocks are arranged, and as the table turns, one 
after another the blocks strike the saws and a shingle is'snipped off. By this 
method thousands upon thousands of shingles are cut off in a day. 

In cutting shingles with the Shingle Saw the block is pushed against the 
saw so that the saw begins to cut a thick slab and ends off thin. In the old 
days, when shingles were split by hand, the work was tedious and slow. After 
splitting, they used to shave or dress up the shingle to get the taper. 

Today the shingles are cut rapidly and in large quantities. The block, 
being cut automatically, adjusts itself to the saw and the machines need little 
attention while running. 

Of somewhat similar nature, in the fact of their being flanged on one side 
are the Veneering Saws. These are usually made in segments, ten or more in 
number, according to size of the saw, and are fastened tightly to the collar or 
flange by countersunk screws, as in the case of the Shingle Saws. The seg¬ 
ments, when new, are from 12 to 15 inches deep, usually 7 or 8 gauge at the 
heel, and taper to 19 gauge or thinner on the tooth edge. The flat side of the 
saw is the countersunk side and the bevel of the segments is on the other side 
of the saw. As the veneer is only 3^8 inch or less in thickness, it readily springs 
away from the thick part of the flange, thus leaving it practically without 
friction, which, while less detrimental to the operation of segment saws, is 
always objectionable. Veneers are necessarily made very thin, consequently, 
to keep the wasted material at the lowest point, the saws also are made very 
thin, some veneer saws tapering to 24 gauge. The first circular Veneering Saw 
to run by power was that invented by Isambard M. Brunei about 1805. He intro¬ 
duced it in the Chatham (England) 
dock yards and later in his works at 
Battersea, where it aroused great 
wonder among visitors. The speed 
of two-thirds of a mile a minute, 
which these saws attained, was con¬ 
sidered marvelous in those days. 

Previous to Brunei’s invention 
of the Veneering’Saw, veneers were 
cut by hand with a saw similar to 
the frame pit saw, but with a 
thinner blade, one of the sawyers 
standing in the pit beneath the log. 
Six veneers to the inch was excel¬ 
lent work with this outfit. Some¬ 
what thinner work was turned out 
by cabinet makers who used a 
hand-saw and got seven or eight sheets to an inch. With 
the machinery and saws of today, however, at least ten 
sheets to the inch are made and in much less time. 

It is interesting to note that the Egyptians, whose 
primitive saws we have described, practised the art of 
veneering as early as 1490 B.C., during the reign of Tho- 
thmes III, who is believed by antiquarians to have been 
the Pharaoh of the Exodus. 

In the illustration on page 33 is seen a man fitting a 












Page 36 


The Saw in History 



piece of red wood to a piece of yellow wood; at least so the original depicts it. 
He has stuck his adze in a block of the same yellow wood, and in his vicinity are 
shown his tool chest and square. A man is engaged in grinding something on 
a slab and another is spreading what is thought to be glue on a board. The 
glue pot is shown heating on the fire. 

Circular Mitre Saws are a smaller type of the thin-bladed Circular Saw, 
ranging in size from 4 inches to 2 feet in diameter. 

These have a special shaped tooth. They are 
taper ground for clearance; therefore run without 
set. Such saws are used mainly in cabinet and 
cigar-box work where a smooth, clean cut is de¬ 
sired. A variation of this saw is fitted with 
“cleaner” teeth at intervals for faster cutting. 

For ripping, more of these are inserted than for 
cross-cutting. 

Grooving Saws, as the name indicates, are 
designed for cutting grooves of various widths and 
depths. Many styles of special teeth are made in 
these saws according to the size and shape of 
groove desired. These saws are usually ground 
thinner at the centre than at the edge and require 
little or no set. 

It was formerly the general practice to tongue 
and groove boards on a machine which had a single groover mounted on one 
end of the arbor, and three Grooving Saws set close together on the other end, 
The board was passed edgewise over the single groover, to cut the-channel, 
then turned, and passed on its opposite edge over the three saws, the middle 
one of which, being of smaller diameter, planed the edge of the tongue. This 
method is in general use in shops and small mills, but where large quantities of 
tongue and groove boards are made in stock sizes the work is done with matcher 
bits. A peculiar variation of the Grooving Saw is the Dado Head Saw, which 
consists usually of two outside and three inside cutters. This style saw will cut 
from K inch to any width desired by the addition of one or more inside cutters. 
A glance at the illustration will show the make-up of this composite Grooving Saw. 

The two forms of Grooving Saw just referred to are the ones in common 
use. There are many solid grooving saws used, made with either straight or 
special patterns of teeth to cut grooves of any width, depth, or special shape on 
bottom or side. An accompanying illustration shows a special Grooving Saw, 

with round cut¬ 
ting-edge on the 
teeth, which pro¬ 
duces a round 
bottom groove. 

It will be 
noticed, however, 
that with the solid 
types of grooving 
saw a certain 
thickness of saw 
to 

correspond with width of groove to be cut. A number of different size grooves 
would necessitate a corresponding number of saws, and would entail consider¬ 
able expense. This very naturally led to extensive experimenting to obtain a 
thin blade that would cut a groove of any desired width. Several expedients 
were resorted to, such as the Wobble Saw. This form, now obsolete, was 



Lock-corner Cutters 
























The Saw in History 


Page 37 


merely a thin circular saw of small diameter firmly set at an angle on the 
mandrel; the greater the angle, the greater the width of cut—the kerf being 
twice as wide as the distance that the top of the saw tilted from the per¬ 
pendicular. 

Another pattern of cutter-head was designed some years ago, working on 
the lines of the Wobble Saw. It was formed of a thin steel blade, a part of 
each side being pressed out of alignment. This offset form enabled a thin 
blade to cut a wide kerf or groove, and by the addition of one or more blades 
the width of groove was increased. 

This, and numerous other attempts were made to perfect a thin blade 
cutter-head. The greatest advance, however, was made by the invention of 
the Dado Head, or Grooving Saw, pictured on page 35, termed the Keystone 
Groover. It reduces the number of saws required, being adjustable to cut any 
desired width of groove simply by addition of extra inside cutters. 

As previously stated, the Keystone Groover consists of two outside 
specially toothed, small circular saws, or cutters, varying from 5 to 18 inches in 
diameter, and three narrow, oblong cutters, toothed on each end. 

For cutting the grooves in the ends of boards to be used in making lock- 
corner boxes special cutters are made, called Lock-corner Cutters. These are 
of various diameters and thicknesses, and with one, two, or three teeth in each, 
according to the thinness of stock to be cut. The thinner the stock, the fewer 
teeth required, two being the average. The number of spaces and the width 
of the board govern the number of saws used in a set. 

It is wonderful to contemplate the numerous different patterns of saws 
employed in a large up-to-date saw mill, and the variety of purposes for which 
they are used. 

In addition to the large Circular and Band Saws used for cutting up logs, 
the average big modern mill is also equipped with a combination “Bull” or 
Rift Gang Edger, regular Edger, Resaw or Siding Saw, Trimmers, Lath 
Bolters, Lath Saws, Circular Cut-off or Butting Saw and Slashers. Each of 
these performs its own particular work. 

The “Bull,” or Rift Gang Edger, is used for sawing 3-inch to 8-inch Cants 
into Rift Boards, or Scantling. While similar in many ways to the large 
Gang Edger, this machine is heavier and of greater capacity. 

The regular Edger Saws are usually 12 to 28 inches in diameter, and 12 to 
8 gauge—that is, 7/64 and 11/64 inch thick respectively. Two or more are 
mounted on the same mandrel. The boards are fed through the machine by 
geared or belted feed rolls. The purpose of the Edger Saw is to cut off the 
bark edges, knots, or defects in the boards, and rapidly to saw them lengthwise 
to the width required. At the same time the boards can be split into pieces of 
different grades, which is accomplished by regulating the distance between the 
saws. This is done by the “edger man,” through the medium of sliding collars 
on the edger mandrel in connection with rack and pinion gears, and hand wheels 
at the front of the machine. It requires quick judgment, owing to the speed of 
the machine. 

A most serviceable saw in the modern mill is the circular Resawing or 
Siding Saw. In size it varies between 16 and 38 inches in diameter, and is 
usually very thin—often only 19 gauge, or about 3/64 inch at the rim. Boards 
and thin Cants, or Planks, made by the log saw are run through the Resaws 
and are manufactured into two or more thin boards as desired; the thinness of 
the blade effecting considerable economy of lumber. The “feed” is continuous, 
consisting usually of four gear-driven rolls, which not only feed the stock to 
the saw but serve as a guide as well. 

Trimmer saws are made for the express purpose of reducing all manu¬ 
factured stock as it comes from the saw-mill proper to fixed and uniform lengths. 






Page 38 


The Saw in History 


There are various forms of Trimmers. Of the two most generally used, 
one consists of a long mandrel with a saw near each end; the saws being 
mounted on sliding collars that are shifted toward or from the center of the 
arbor, or mandrel, to cut or trim the ends of the stock squarely, and to the 
length desired. The shifting of the saws is accomplished by means of sprocket 
wheels and chains, controlled by the operator through a hand-wheel or crank. 

Large Trimmers are made up of four, six, and sometimes more Jump Saws, 
carried by a frame, and driven from the same shaft. Some machines are made 
to cut from under the table, while in others the saws are hung above the table. 
The saws are in gang form, are set 2 feet apart, and by means of a series of either 
hand or foot levers, or by pneumatic tubes, any two or more of the Trimmer 
Saws can instantly be brought into the stock to cut any desired lengths. 

The saws for these machines range from 16 to 26 inches in diameter, and 
are usually 10 or 12 gauge in thickness. The boards, or stock, in both forms of 
Trimmers are carried or fed across the saw table by continuous running sprocket 
chains. 

Lath Bolters are also of the circular saw type, usually about 24 to 28 inches 
in diameter, and often used in gangs of two or more saws. They are equipped 
with Rip Teeth, and, as the name implies, are used to rip lath bolts from slabs 
or other waste lumber. Lath Saws, too, are small circular saws used in gangs 
of two or more. They are necessary for sawing laths from bolts prepared by 
the Bolting Saws. 

Most mills also have a Circular Cut-off or Butting Saw, which is swung in 
a frame, and used for cutting timber to length, as well as squaring the ends. In 
other words, it is used for cutting Scantling and timber to length, the same as 
the regular Trimmer is used for trimming boards. 

Then there are the slashers—Circular Saws used in a gang, and averaging 
four or more to each set. These are for cutting slabs or edgings into suitable 
lengths for plastering laths, picket or firewood. 

There is also the Swing Cut-off Saw, which is used principally in box 
factories. It consists of a Circular Saw ranging in size from 12 to 20 inches. 
This saw is hung in a frame that is hinged to the overhead shafting. The work¬ 
man, in operating, swings the saw out over a bench upon which the work is 
supported. The saw passes through a special groove in the bench top. After 
the sawing is completed, the weighted frame carries the saw back out of the 
way. The main purpose of the Swing Saw is for cross-cutting boards to various 
lengths, according to size of the box to be made. 

In Double, or “Top,” saw-mills, a small Circular Saw called the Top Saw 
is used in connection with a large Circular Saw, and is mounted above and 
slightly behind it. Both saws are run at the same speed rim motion, and 
usually in the same direction. Thus the teeth of the two saws approach from 
opposite directions and throw the saw-dust clear without fouling each other. 
The chief advantage of the double mill is that logs of larger diameter can be 
sawn. On the other hand, the capacity of a single Circular Saw is limited to 
logs whose diameter is slightly less than half that of the saw. Then, too, 
thinner saws can be used in a double mill, thus bringing about a very desirable 
economy of kerf, power and time. Top Saws are made of any diameter desired, 
ranging from 24 to 40 inches, and are the same gauge or thickness as the bottom 
saw. 

Before Band Saws were being used to the extent which they are today, it 
was customary to use double saw-mills in districts where very large logs had 
to be cut. This enabled the use of a smaller under-saw for general work. 
When a large log was to be cut the top saw did its share of the work. 

The wide use of the band saw, however, cutting, as it does, logs of any'size, 
has made the use of a double saw-mill unnecessary. 






The Saw in History 


Page 39 


Circular Saws in various sizes are put to many curious uses. To the 
average person it will be a strange revelation to learn of the many varied 
materials which these saws are employed to cut. 

Take sugar, for instance. At one time gangs of small Circular Saws were 
used to cut the large slabs of crystallized sugar into the small cubes that are 
iamiliar on every table. Today, however, cube or “lump” sugar is cut from 
the slabs in cutting machines, the knives of which cut upward and downward 
at the same time. 



CONCAVE SAWS 


Left hand Right hand 

In addition to the ordinary sawing of wood, metals, stone, and slate, 
Circular Saws of the solid tooth pattern are also used for cutting Bone, Leather, 
Talc, Asbestos, Horn, Magnesia coverings, Paper, Cardboard, Fibre, Rubber, 
Tallow, Fat, Carbon, Soapstone, Mica, Straw, Amber, Shell, Pearl, Ivory, 
Celluloid, Coal, Ice, Camphor, Raisins, Cotton, Cotton Seed, Cake Meal, and 
Peanuts. Rock-salt and Hay are also sawn. 

The Circular Saw will always play an important part in the manufacture 
of Lumber, particularly where the timber holding is limited and the timber 
small. The modern Band Saw, however, through its ability to handle success¬ 
fully logs of a wide range of girth, manufactures the lumber at minimum 
expense of kerf, and is most generally selected by the larger operators who 
have extensive timber holdings. 

In describing the modern Circular Saw, we have so far dealt only with that 
type of solid tooth Circular Saw which cuts a straight line. There is, however, 
an important group of solid tooth Circular Saws which are constructed to cut 
on a curved line, thus giving a special rounded shape to the article being made. 




Page 40 


The Saw in History 


This class of saw is indispensable in the cooperage business, cutting as it does 
the staves, heads, and bottoms of barrels to proper form. 

They are made in two principal types—Concave and Cylinder. 

The Concave Saw, as its name implies, is dished or hollowed, according to 
the diameter of the circle to be cut, thus enabling the saw to cut on the arc of a 
circle. The work is usually placed upon a turn-table, which, as it turns 
around, carries the stock into the saw. 

Concave Saws, as a rule, are made in diameters of from 4 to 20 inches, and 
of 16 to 12 gauge in thickness. Various other sizes, however, are made on 
special order. Concave Saws are made either right or left hand. When the 
observer is standing facing the saw with the saw running toward him, if the 
“dish” is to the right, it is a left-hand saw; if to the left, it is a right-hand saw. 

In cooperage work, the Heading Turner has a Concave Saw, and a smaller, 
thicker, flat Circular Saw, mounted on the same mandrel. The stock from 
which the barrel heads are made, usually consisting of several pieces, is held in 
clamps on the turn-table and rotated obliquely against the saws. The Con- 



Cylinder Saw 



cave Saw cuts it round, and makes the long bevel at the same time. The 
small flat saw cuts the short bevel which completes the edge of the barrel head, 
making it of proper shape to fit the “chine,” or V-groove in staves, for retaining 
head. In the manufacture of wheelwright material, especially in cutting 

felloes, or wheel rims, 
two Concave Saws are 
mounted on one mandrel. 
In this case the stock is 
placed upon a table 
which swings with a 
pendulum motion. The 
stock is swung a quarter 
turn, which brings it into 
the saw—then back, and 
... .. . Bilge Saw i n f or ano ther cut. In 

this connection it may be well to state that there are two kinds of felloes The 
hrst is composed of from six to eight segments, sawn to shape. The second is 
usually made of two pieces, bent to shape. The operation just described, 
therefore is used only in cutting small sectioned felloes. As the saws are 
spaced the desired distance apart, the felloe is cut between them of a cor¬ 
responding thickness. 

„ . Co " ca , ve ? aws 1 are , em P 1 °y«J in the manufacture of chair parts, for cutting 
the heads for barrels, kegs and bottoms for baskets. In fact, anything to be 
cut m rounded or curved form. This kind of work was done entirely by hand 

or on Jig Saws, before the invention of the Concave Saw. y ’ 














The Saw in History 


Page 41 


In many industries Band Saws have replaced this kind of saw to a great 
extent, better work being done with them. Certain classes of work, however, 
such as barrel heads, can only be made with the Concave Saw. As a matter 
of fact, cooperage concerns could not use a Band Saw successfully for barrel¬ 
making. 

t The next group of saws in this class is of the Cylinder type—the Straight 
Cylinder, the Bilge, and the Bottom Saw. With slight variations these are 
made along lines quite similar to one another. As alluded to in the earlier 
part of this history, while the cylinder type of saw is of very early origin, Sir 
Samuel Bentham, who invented many of the prototypes of modern saws, 
among others originated the modern Cylinder Saw about 1804. 

It consists of a steel shaft, and cast-iron head. Upon the head is screwed 
a drum, or cylinder, of high-grade iron or good machinery steel. To this main 
drum is riveted and soldered a narrow, specially hardened and tempered cylin¬ 
drical steel band, a few inches wide, in whicffithe teeth have been cut. 

Where the steel band, or cutting part of the cylinder, is attached to 
cylinder proper, special beveled “lap” joints are employed so as to make the 
entire surface of the cylinder straight, smooth and uniform. 

This steel band is gradually reduced in width by successive refitting, or 
sharpening of the saw. When reduced to such an extent that the cylinder in 
its entirety is too short to accommodate the length of staves to be cut, that 
part of the cylinder is removed by replacing with a new steel band to bring the 
cylinder back to its original and desired length. This process is called re¬ 
steeling. 

The mandrel, or shaft, which is always of the heaviest and best material 
obtainable, extends beyond both ends of the cylinder to allow for bearings. 
In sawing, the “bolt,” or stock, from which the staves are cut, is clamped 
between two “dogs,” attached to and a part of the carriage. The carriage 
travels on tracks, one outside and the other inside the cylinder. The “bolt” 
or stock, clamped on the carriage, is then pushed against the cutting edge of 
saw, the stave drops into the stave-holder attached to carriage and is drawn 
out automatically by the return movement of the carriage. 

In this group of saws the first in importance and general use is the straight 
Cylinder Saw, which is used for making tight barrel staves for barrels that are 
to hold liquid. For icooperage work this is made with practically the same 
diameter as is desired in the finished barrel, and of sufficient length to cut the 
proper size staves. The straight form of Cylinder Saw has the walls of the 
drum, or cylinder, parallel with the mandrel for the entire length. Of course, 
this is used exclusively for cutting staves that are straight lengthwise, but are 
rounded crosswise to suit the circumference of barrel being made. 

For cutting the familiar rourtdi ; ng, or bulginlg, staves, a Cylinder Saw 
called the Bilge Saw is used. The Bilge Saw has an outward bulge, beginning 
at the ends, and gradually increasing in diameter toward the center, which 
shape is imparted to the stave being cut. With the exception of its bulging 
form and smaller size, the Bilge Saw resembles the straight Cylinder Saw in 
every particular. It is used for making sta'ves for small kegs, such as nail kegs; 
and, owing to the shape of the saw, leaves a bilge in the stave, thereby saving 
stock. Contrary to general belief, the Bilge Saw is not of recent origin. There 
was patented in 1832 or 1833 a Bilge Saw with inserted teeth. 

Another form of the Cylinder Saw is the Bottom Cutting Saw. Though 
of the same type, it is much shorter, being constructed of a narrow, toothed 
cylinder, or band of steel. This steel band is formed to the diameter of the 
bottoms to be cut, and is screwed to a round cast iron head. The saw revolves 
on a vertical mandrel, the end of which is set in the center of the head, and in 
addition to the rotary motion has a sliding up-and-down- movement. It is used 






Page 42 


The Saw in History 


exclusively to cut bottoms for barrels, kegs and baskets. The stock to be 
sawn is held on a horizontal table, and the operator, pressing a lever, brings the 
saw in contact with it. The teeth cut at all points of the circle at the same time. 

There are a number of saws of the Cylinder type manufactured for special 
purposes other than those of wood-working. For instance, Henry Disston & 
Sons, in the year 1908, made the largest Cylinder Saw ever constructed, and 
intended solely for cutting stone. This big Cylinder Saw was 8 feet 9 inches in 
diameter, and 30 inches wide. It had 68 teeth, each of which contained a 



Inserted Tooth Circular Saw (see next page) 


diamond. This saw cut large stones into curved shapes for arches, and saved 
an immense amount of hand labor. 

Another variation of the Cylinder Saw on a small scale is the Button Saw. 
This saw goes to the other extreme, being quite small, and, as its name signifies, 
is used for cutting button blanks out of pearl and bone. While cylindrical in 
form, it is not joined. A long, thin, tapering wedge is inserted to retain the 
shape, the blank end being slightly larger than the toothed end, thus permitting 
the button blanks to pass freely through the cylinder and drop out. The 






The Saw in History 


Page 43 


length is usually from 33^ to 4 inches, while the diameter depends upon the 
size of button to be cut. In use this saw is fastened in a lathe. 

Surgeons use a similar small saw, revolved by hand, for removing portions 
of the human skull when it is necessary to relieve pressure on the brain. This 
form for surgeons’ use is called the Trephine or Crown Saw. Trephining or 
Trepanning is one of the oldest surgical operations known. History tells us 
that Hippocrates used a Cylinder Saw of his own invention for this purpose 
over 400 years before the Christian era. 

The foregoing closes the history of the general types of Solid Tooth Cir¬ 
cular Saws. 

Continuing on Circular Saws, those with inserted teeth will be dealt 
with next. 

That class used for cutting wood will be first described. Later on the 
Circular Saw of the inserted tooth type for cutting metal will be taken up. 

The introduction of the Inserted Tooth Circular Saw was almost as great 
an advance over the Solid Tooth as the step from the reciprocating saws to 
those of continuous action. 

It is for this reason that among distinctly modern saws the circular saw 
with inserted teeth occupies a prominent place. Reference to the illustration 
on page 15 will show the variety of ideas finding expression in the early types 
of teeth. The patent records show that the first generally known inserted 
teeth were those invented by Kendall, in 1826, as already referred to. These 
were very narrow strips of steel set in the edge of the saw plate, and held in 
place by hammering a burr on opposite sides of plate. A hole was cut in the 
saw plate in front of each tooth, to catch the sawdust and carry it out of the cut. 

Although this is the earliest record of the detachable or removable tooth, 
still the bulk of evidence seems to point to the year 1839 as that in which the 



Swaged and Slotted Holder Ribbed Swaged Holder 


inserted tooth had its real beginning. The greatest advance was not made, 
however, until 1859, when, as described previously, Spaulding, while experi¬ 
menting at Sacramento, Cal., discovered the principle of inserting the teeth 

on curved lines. . , , , 

The steady growth of the use of inserted tooth circular saws lor lumber¬ 
making is due to its many advantages, the foremost of which is the fact that 





Page 44 


The Saw in History 




the original diameter of the blade is always retained, whereas the repeated 
sharpening of the solid tooth saw gradually reduces its size and reduces its 
tension, necessitating more frequent hammering, until finally the blade be¬ 
comes too small for use in sawing logs of the larger diameters. 

With the inserted tooth, the amount of filing is reduced to a minimum, 
thus saving machinery, time, and files. When the teeth (frequently called 
“points” or “bits”) become worn out or broken by accident they are replaced 
with new ones, an operation which consumes but little time, and can be done 
while the saw is on the mandrel. 

The gullet or throat room is also a vital point in large saws, for upon this 
depends the amount of “feed” which the saw can carry. If this dust chamber 
is not sufficiently large or properly formed the sawdust will not be carried out 
of the cut and the saw will “choke down.” On this account it is highly im¬ 
portant to have perfectly 
formed gullets, though it 
is not always an easy matter 
to form them—especially 
when proper tools are lack¬ 
ing—so it will be seen that 
the absence of the necessity 
for gumming an inserted 
tooth saw is another excel¬ 
lent feature. 

Another important item 
in the inserted tooth saw is 
that the teeth being sep¬ 
arate from the blade pro¬ 
vides the opportunity of 
hardening them to a greater 
degree, thus insuring more 
durable and lasting cutting 
edges. The teeth are made 
in various patterns—certain 
forms being best adapted for sawing hard wood, and others for soft wood. 

The chief difficulty experienced in the manufacture of inserted tooth 
circular saws was in the endeavor 
properly to secure the teeth in the saw 
plate, and to do so without interfering 
with the tension, or distorting the 
blade. The difficulty can readily be 
appreciated when it is remembered 
that the saw revolves at a high speed, 
and is subjected to great strain in the 
working; that not only must the teeth be fastened 
so they will not fly out while in motion, but to 
withstand side strain. 

Improvements in the Disston inserted tooth 
saws provide a holder which fits the socket per¬ 
fectly and rests on the blade for its entire length 
when the tooth is in place. 

Holders are made in several patterns. The regular 
holder is of an even thickness throughout, a form pre¬ 
ferred by many millmen, since it permits the teeth or 
bits to be worn down close to the gauge or thickness of 
the saw. No. 1 No. 4 y 2 











The Saw in History 


Page 45 



Another style is swaged in the throat, a gauge and a half heavier 
than the saw plate proper. This style is serviceable for the cutting 
of frozen timber, as the swaged holder keeps the cut free from the 
dust which sometimes passes down the sides of the saw and freezes 
to the log. Still another pattern, much heavier at the throat, is 
termed the ribbed swaged holder, and is used quite largely on the 
Pacific Coast. 

Holders of the slotted pattern are made for those who prefer 
that style—the purpose being to give them greater elasticity. 

In these inserted tooth saws an inverted V-shoulder is milled in 
the socket which fits into a corresponding V-shaped groove in the 
holder and bit, which form of design, together with the spring of the 
holder itself, secures both firmly in place. 

For the insertion, or removal, of the teeth and holders a special 
wrench is furnished, by means of which the work of 
exchanging worn or damaged teeth is performed in a 
few minutes. 

The Disston Chisel Tooth Saws (a type of in¬ 
serted tooth) are made in the various gauges and ten 
different sizes of te_eth, each having various widths 
of cutting edges; they are made suitable for a feed of 
Yz inch to the revolution of the saw, or for the heavy 
steam and shotgun feeds employed in cutting the 
largest timber. 

The great variation in the size of circular saws 
with inserted teeth is well pictured in the illus¬ 
tration on the preceding page, which shows the 
largest and smallest types regularly made. - . 

The small tooth is a No. V/% which is 13 gauge, with 3/16-inch cutting 
edge, and the large tooth is a No. 1, 3 gauge, % inch on cutting edge—the latter 
being used only for removing the bark and gritty surface in advance of the 
saw doing the cutting. . , 

The inserted tooth pattern is also adapted to gang edger saws, lath bolter 
saws, knee bolter saws, lath saws, clapboard saws, boxboard saws, bench saws, 
grooving saws, and for many other special purposes which thoroughly demon¬ 
strate its usefulness and popularity. . 

The Chisel Tooth Saws referred to in the foregoing are used only lor rip¬ 
ping, or cutting with the grain. For cross-cutting, i.e., cutting across the gram, 



Four-Prong 



Method of Using Chisel Tooth Wrench 












Page 46 


The Saw in History 


a different style of tooth is necessary by reason of the fact that in cutting across 
the grain the fibres of the wood must be severed, which requires a knife or 
shearing cut to be made. 

The Disston spiral inserted tooth Cut-off Saw is the latest development in 
the way of a rapid smooth cutting and easy driving cut-off saw, and has proved 
superior to any other form of cut-off saw of inserted tooth type manufactured. 
The teeth are inserted in the blade on spiral lines, which not only gives full 
clearance to each individual tooth, but also gives the entire blade perfect 
clearance in the largest cuts. 

The manner in which the teeth are inserted in the plate does away with 
the necessity of setting or springing the teeth for clearance. Sharpening is 
the only operation for keeping the saw in running order. As will be seen in 
the accompanying illustration, the inserted tooth circular cross-cut saws are 
fitted with sections containing two or four prongs, or teeth. These teeth are 
designed for use only in saws 36 inches and larger in diameter. They are 
made in 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 gauge only. 

This style of saw is particularly adapted for use in stave mills; also for Slab 
and Slasher Saws, and for all mills where logs or cants are cut into short lengths 
or bolts. 

In the line of special work, inserted tooth Circular Saws are also used for 
cutting slate, limestone, coral, ice, slots in corrugated paper, etc. 

The leading type, however, as known today is the large inserted tooth Log 
Saw, the average being 60 inches in diameter, although made in various sizes 
from 12 to 72 inches and larger, and varying in thickness. 

The latest development in this type of saw is known as the No. 33 and 
No. 44 Chisel Tooth Saw. This design embraces new ideas in the method of 
holding the bits in place, by which they always stay central; there is no lateral 
motion of the shank, consequently the saw runs better, cutting smoother 
lumber, while the possibility of the points starting forward in cutting frozen 
timber is entirely eliminated. There has been no change in the sockets of 
either the No. 3 or No. 4, the new Nos. 33 and 44 fitting same perfectly. Owing 
to the formation of the improved wrench for these new bits and holders they 
are under better control and can quickly be inserted in the plate. 

To those not familiar with sawing, the modern inserted tooth and solid 
tooth Circular Saws seem ordinary looking implements. A more intimate 
acquaintance, however, brings out the fact that they are made on scientific 
lines, the speed and feed at which they are to run and their work being pre¬ 
determined. For instance, there is a relation of the hook, pitch, or rake of the 
tooth to the periphery line, the clearance on the back if not sufficient would 
cause the saw to knuckle or rub in the cut (i.e., top of plate would rub the log). 

If the cutting 
edge of tooth 
stands too high 
it would have a 
tendency to tear 
the wood instead 
of cutting free, 
and this is likely 
to cause the 
Narrow Band Saw teeth to break. 

Taking a 48- 

tooth saw, cutting 3-inch feed, at one revolution of the saw each tooth would 
cut 1/16 inch, while, if the same saw were running at 6-inch feed the saw would 
consequently be taking a bigger “bite” and each tooth would cut 34$ inch per 
revolution, but on account of the heavier bite it is necessary that greater clear- 





The Saw in History 


Page 47 


ance be given the teeth; in other words, 
the teeth should be pitched slightly higher. 

The inserted tooth Circular Saw today 
has reached a high state of efficiency. 
Given a proper equipment and sufficient 
power, skillfully controlled, it will never 
be supplanted in its line by any other type 
of saw. 

The Band Saw stands pre-eminently 
at the head of modern Continuous Action 
Saws, both in size and usefulness. The great 
lumber industry, to which the world owes 
so much, places its dependence largely 
upon the capacity and efficiency of this 
type of saw. 

Band Saws, which today range in size 
from inch to 18 inches in width, are 
familiar to almost everyone. They con¬ 
sist of an endless band, or ribbon of steel, 
usually toothed on one edge. They are 
also made with both edges toothed. This 
is generally done in the case of large Band 
Saws, although double edge Band Saws are 
sometimes made in widths as narrow as 
8 inches. 

The band is run over two wheels, or 
pulleys, which, except in the case of hori¬ 
zontal Band Saw Machines, are set one 
above the other, and spaced some distance 
apart. 

In using small Band Saws the work 
rests upon a tilting, or adjustable table, 
through the center of which the saw passes, 
the work being fed by hand. 

For general work, the blades are made 
as narrow as y% inch, and from that are 
graduated up by eighths to 1% inches, 
saws up to this width being considered 
"Narrow Band Saws.” The length is usu¬ 
ally 18 feet, and longer, according to the size 
of the machines on which they are used. 

The fact that with a narrow Band 
Saw circles or other curved lines can be 
cut in any desired direction, makes it 
available for use- in cutting intricate and 
ornamental patterns. Where formerly 
scroll sawing was done entirely by the 
Reciprocating type—Web or Scroll Saws, working up or down, and Compass 
Saws—now the narrow Band Saw is being widely used with excellent and 
greater results. Its downward motion carries the sawdust away without the 
aid of a blower, leaving the lines drawn on the work perfectly clear to operator. 

It is understood, of course, that Band Saws can be used in this connection 
only in cases where the pattern is begun on the edge of the stock; for interior 
designs it is necessary to use a Reciprocating Saw (Jig Saw), the end of which 
can be passed through the interior of the pattern. 



Double-edge Band Saw 
























Page 48 


The Saw in History 


The Band Saw has superseded the Circular Saw in several lines of work. 
It has many advantages over the Circular Saw—especially in that class of saw¬ 
ing where its very thin blade makes it desirable. Band Saws from 2 to 8 inches, 
in some cases 10 and 12 inches in width, are extensively used for ripping and re¬ 
sawing, for, compared with the Circular Saw, they save kerf, time, and power. 



Log Band-Saw (coiled) 


This leads us to the consideration of the Band Saw as related to the saw¬ 
mill. Before its introduction there was a limit in the size of timber which 
could be sawn by Circular Saws, which could cut only logs of a size slightly less 
than half the diameter of the saw. - The size of the saw itself was also limited; 
difficulties of management and running arose as soon as the saw diameter was 
increased beyond a certain point. 

Double mills were used to a great 
extent in regions where large timber 
was being cut. By this arrangement, 
which consisted of two Circular Saws, 
one above the other, logs of an ordinary 
size were sawn with the larger, or 
“main” Circular Saw, while the smaller, 
or “Top Saw,” was brought into action 
when a log exceeded the capacity of the 
main saw. The Band Saw obviated all this, for there is practically no limit 
to the size of logs which can be cut by Band Saws. 



Tooth before 
Swaging 


Swaged 


Swaged and 
Side-dressed 









The Saw in History 


Page 49 


In large Band Mills, as a rule, the work is brought to the saw 
upon a carriage driven by feeding devices independent of the saw, 
although there is a rig being placed on the market where the saw 
travels to the log. 

Compared with the Reciprocating Saws formerly used in saw¬ 
mills, such as Mill, Gang, etc., the Band Saw has the advantage of 
steady and continuous cutting action, no time being lost in a return 
stroke. However, gangs of Reciprocating Saws, by reason of their 
ability to cut as many as 30 boards at one time, are still retained in 
numbers of large mills as an adjunct to the Bands. 

When one considers the value of every 1/16 inch saved in kerf 
in the course of a day’s sawing of several hundred thousand feet, the 
great economy in using the thin blade Band Saw over the Circular 
Saw can be more fully appreciated. 

Large Band Saws for log sawing range from 8 to 18 inches in 
width. The general width for single-edged Bands is 12 inches, while 
double-edged Band Saws (i.e., toothed on both edges) are made in a 
variety of sizes. The majority of these latter, however, are about 14 
Spring inches in width, although, as previously stated, some few are made 
Set as narrow as 8 inches. 

The length of the standard log Band Saw varies, according to size and 
make of mill, from 40 to 60 feet. 

Although the practise of toothing both edges of a Mill Saw blade (Recipro¬ 
cating type) dates back to the sixteenth century, it is a feature that has never 
been extensively employed until quite recently. Double-edged Band Saws 
are now used frequently and the log can be cut as it moves in both directions— 
going and coming—thus adding materially to the output of the mill. 

The swage set is principally used on Log Bands and Resaws. Swaging 
the teeth consists of spreading or widening the cutting edge of each tooth so 
that it extends slightly beyond each side of the blade, giving clearance to the 
body of the saw while cutting. Sufficient clearance prevents friction and 
insures free running. Then, too, with the swaged tooth both corners of the 
tooth cut, consequently it will not only do twice as much work as a spring-set 
tooth, which merely cuts half a kerf, but, in addition, it will stand more feed, 
thus greatly increasing the capacity of the mill. Small, narrow Band Saws, 
on the other hand, are always fitted with a spring-set. With the spring-set 
the point of one tooth is bent to the right, the next to the left, and so on alter¬ 
nately throughout the length of the saw. This effects the necessary clearance. 

Some time ago Henry Disston & Sons made several inserted tooth Band 
Saws for sawing stone. One of these was 45 feet 6 inches long, 8 inches wide, 
and contained 273 inserted teeth, each with a diamond embedded in the point. 
The teeth of these saws were small—only % inch in length—and cast around 
the diamond points. They were of a square form, fitting into square sockets 
in the saw plate. 

These, however, have not been sufficiently tested to warrant an opinion 
as to their general adaptability in this line of work. 

The Band Saw has reached its highest form of usefulness in its present 
employment in gangs. There are several mills in this country and Canada 
using gangs containing two or more machines. Two of the largest gangs today 
consist one of four and the other of five Band Saws, used in resawing. 

A feature of one of the mills is the band gang made up of five 6-foot band 
rigs, carrying 10-inch saws, cutting ^ inch kerf. These bands are set one 
back of the other, tandem, with their bases movable, permitting the sawing of 
any thickness of lumber desired. For instance, if 2-inch “stuff” is being sawn 
and the sawyer desires to change to 1-inch he does so by operating a lever con- 








Page 50 


The Saw in History 


trolling a valve on the compressed-air cylinder. The cants are fed through 
the band gang on live rolls running vertically, those in the rear of the table 
being stationary and those on the opposite side movable to allow the admission 
of different-sized cants, an unique arrangement of press rolls. The rolls on the 
front side, in addition to feeding the cant through, hold it up tight to the 
vertical table or straight edge by air pressure. 

The Band Slabber is made of two Band Saws, a right and left, through 
which the log is run, a screw mechanism being used to adjust the saws according 
to the size log to be cut. The log to be cut is dropped into a V-shaped trough, 
which automatically centers it, while an endless chain feeds it to the saw. As 
it passes between these two saws the two sides are taken dff simultaneously. 

Mills are kriown as Right or Left-hand Mills, according to the side from 
which the log is fed to the saw. In ordering a Band Saw it is always necessary 
to state whether it is for a Right or Left-hand Mill. In a Right-hand Band 
Saw the teeth run down to the right as you stand facing the teeth, and the 
reverse in a left-hand saw. This is accomplished in a very simple manner by 
turning the ends of the band either to the right or left before making the braze. 

Band Saws, like Circular Saws, are employed to cut a great variety of 
materials in addition to wood. Among these are: Slate, Fibre-board, Paper, 
Bone, Meat, Hard Rubber, Ivory, Asbestos, Magnesia, Horn, Amber, Cloth, 
Bronze, Brass, Copper, Aluminum, Nickel, Iron, Steel, Carbon, Ice, Celluloid, 
Talc, Camphor, Mica, Pearl, Shell, and Cardboard. 



26 -inch Blade, Bar Cold-Saw Cutting-Off Machine for Cutting Metal 










The Saw in History 


Page 51 


When you consider that the modern Band Saw travels at the speed of 
about 134 miles per minute—or faster than the fastest express train—that in 
connection with its width it is extraordinarily thin, you will have some idea 
of the strain to which it is subjected, and a better conception of the wonderful 
quality of the steel that has made the production of these saws possible. 

The Band Saw, which remains today in practically the same form as when 
invented, is still the last word in saw efficiency. It is in the perfecting of a suit¬ 
able steel to withstand the successive bending and straightening while in 
operation, the making of a proper joint or “braze,” and the improvement in 
the form of the teeth that modern advances have been made. 

It is hardly safe to predict what may be developed in the way of improve¬ 
ments to the saws at present manufactured, but it is difficult to conceive of 
anything which will surpass the material, construction, and operation of the 
Band Saw as now used, and to Henry Disston & Sons is due, in no small 
measure, the final attainment of this high efficiency. 

Previously were described those types of saws—both reciprocating and 
continuous action—employed in sawing wood; also certain reciprocating types 
for metal cutting, viz.: Hand Hack Saws. 

The next in order and final group is that class of Metal-cutting Discs 
and Saws of continuous action, driven by power. 

Powerful and rapid as may be the action of saws in severing wood, still it 
is not so strikingly wonderful nor so appealing to the mind mechanically in¬ 
clined as is the cutting or dividing of hard metals by means of a saw blade. To 
the uninitiated it would seem an impossible feat for a revolving, comparatively 
thin blade to drive its way through a mass of iron or steel without being 
shattered or stripping off the teeth. But such has been the advancement in 
the construction of these saws and the steel used in their manufacture that 
this seemingly impossible task is easily and quickly performed. 

It is not so many 
years ago that the working 
of metal to size was done 
by what would now be 
considered a very crude, 
laborious, and expensive 
method. It was usually 
done in a blacksmith shop, 
the smaller work being 
forged to shape, the larger 
sheared off and dressed up 
with a file, while in such 
cases where joints or 
mitres were required on 
beams, girders, etc., the 
work was sheared to 
length, the required angle 
then cut on a planer or 
shaper. This method after¬ 
ward gave way to the 
adoption of special shears, 
though this did not give 
an accurate angle and 
necessitated further work 
of dressing off. All of these methods consumed considerable time. 

The use of the Circular, Band, and Hand Metal-cutting Saws has rendered 
possible to a greater extent the employment of metals in the trades, as modern 



Circular (Friction) Disc 






Page 52 


The Saw in History 




appliances for shaping and cutting with this class of tool have reduced to a 
nominal figure the hitherto prohibitive cost, the work now being done with 

comparative ease. 

As iron and steel construction 
work, etc., increased, corresponding 
improvements were made 
in the manufacture of 
saws looking to greater 
efficiency and durability. 
This, in turn, necessi¬ 
tated the making of a 
steel which, when manu¬ 
factured into saws, would 
withstand the tremend- 
dous heat and shock of 
cutting metal, and still 
retain its temper and 
cutting qualities. 

As an outcome of 
many careful and painstaking experi¬ 
ments, in which various rare and 

valuable alloys were used, a number 
Spec,a! M.lhng Saw: Sprocket-drive of new grades o{ steel were obta med. 

The most important achievement is the grade termed “High-speed Steel,” by 
reason of the fact that saws and tools made of this material can be run at a 
much higher rate of speed and a deeper cut taken, it being capable of with¬ 
standing the great frictional heat without losing its hardness. 

It now lay with the saw-maker to devise various types of saws for metal¬ 
cutting particularly suited to the different purposes in the widening field of oper¬ 
ation. And it was no easy task; long-continued experimenting and tests were 
necessary to determine the correct 
shape, pitch, and space of teeth; the 
speed at which the saw should run, 
and the amount of feed 
—each point mentioned 
being controlled by the 
kind of metal to be cut. 

That success has been 
achieved is attested by 
the many and varied 
purposes for which these 
saws are employed today. 

The general classes 
of circular metal cutters 
are: Circular Discs 
(plates without teeth), 
run at high speed for 
cutting cold metal; Circular Saws 
(toothed), for cutting hot or cold 
metal at high speed; Circular Milling Circular Milling Saw 

Saws, for cutting metal at slow speed; Metal Slitting Saws; Screw Slotting 
Saws, and next, but constituting the most recent improvements and highest 
form, the Inserted Tooth Milling Saw; then follows the Band Saw for metal, 
each of these types being made of a quality of steel peculiarly adapted to the 
work to be done. 





The Saw in History 


Page 53 


Taking them up in order named: 

Discs (circular plates without 
teeth) are used for cutting: cold iron 
or steel. They are run 
at a high speed, about 
24,000 feet per minute, 
rim motion, and cut by 
friction. In size they 
vary from 14 inches, 10 
gauge, to 50 inches in 
diameter, 3 gauge, or 
17/64 inch thick. They 
are used in foundries, 
forges, and metal-work¬ 
ing plants, to cut metal, 
such as rails, beams, bar 
stock, etc., to size. 

These Friction Discs, as they are 
sometimes called, eat their way 
through the metal by a process of Special Milling Saw 

fusing or melting the stock. The tremendous speed at which they run creates 
intense heat which melts away the stock in front of the disc edge. In Sheffield, 
England, some years ago, a Friction Disc measuring 9 feet in diameter was in 
use for some time. A speed of 86,000 feet per minute, rim motion, was attained 
with this in cutting 6-inch armor plate. So much heat was created by it that 
it was necessary to play a continuous and heavy stream of water on the edge 
of the disc to prevent its fusing with the stock being cut. Owing to the nature 
of the discs and the methods of cutting they must be run at exceedingly high 
speed or they will not work. 

For cutting hot iron and steel at high speed, Solid Tooth Circular Saws 
(sometimes termed Hot Saws) are used, ranging in size from 14 inches in 
diameter, 10 gauge, or 34 inch thick, to 50 inches, 3 gauge, or 17/64 inch thick, 
having teeth varying from % to J4 inch space. Hot Saws are run at a slightly 
lower speed than Friction Discs, about 20,000 feet per minute, rim motion. 

Similar saws, revolving at high speed, are also used for sawing cold iron 
and steel rapidly. 

Both the above styles of saws are used in iron and steel works for cutting 
I-beams, girders, rails, etc., to merchantable lengths. 

The most widely used type of solid tooth circular metal-cutting saw is the 
slow motion Milling Saw. It bears the same relation In the metal-working 
industry as the Circular and Band Saw do in lumber manufacturing. The 
principal sizes range from 8 inches in diameter, 16 gauge, or 34 inch thick, to 
60 inches, 000 gauge, or 7/16 inch thick. For clearance in the cut some are 
ground thin or slightly tapering toward centre, and others finished even 
in thickness from rim to centre, with the teeth swaged or set. 

These saws are used in machine shops, foundries, forges, rolling mills, etc., 
on machines, some of which drive the saws from the centre in the ordinary 
manner, while others drive from the rim by means of a sprocket wheel engaging 
in perforations in the saw blade near the edge, as shown in illustration (page 52). 

Saws of this class, intended for cutting hard and heavy stock, are made of 
a grade of steel especially adapted for the work to be done, and the blades left 
as hard as is practical to work. . . 

The successful working of a Milling Saw does not rest entirely with the 
material of which it is made, for, as previously stated, a great deal depends 
upon its teeth—their shape, size, number, and space. The speed and feed at 









obvious when attention is called to the fact that all metal-cutting saws must 
have a comparatively “straight front” or hook instead of a V-shaped tooth, 
consequently as soon as the points of the teeth penetrate the thickness of the 
metal tube, if too coarse, they engage or catch in the edge of the metal, and 
breakage is the result. 

In cutting small sections of solid metal the space or pitch of teeth should 
be closer than for large work, and there should always be two or more teeth 


Page 54 The Saw in History 


which any circular saw can be run depends largely on the number and shape 
of teeth. 

The proper styles of teeth for different classes of work have been deter¬ 
mined on scientific lines and proved by actual demonstration. For instance, 
to saw metal tubing, fine teeth are required. The reason for this is quite 


Fig. 24 


Fig. 25 


















The Saw in History 


Page 55 


in the cut at the same time; while for cutting rails, beams, etc., 7/16 inch space 
of teeth in solid tooth saws, 24 to 30 inches in diameter, is considered right. 

While ordinary solid tooth Milling Saws are run at slow speed, this, of 
course, varies according to the hardness or density and size of the stock to be 
cut. When sawing open-hearth steel rails they should run about 30 feet rim 
motion per minute, and at 45 feet for beams, etc.; for wrought iron, a speed of 
60 feet rim motion per minute; and on brass or soft metals the speed can be 
increased to about five times that of cutting iron. 

Small Circular Milling Saws are also used in portable machines for rail¬ 
road construction work and repairs, etc. The machine is clamped to the rail, 
and the saw adjusted to cut either straight or diagonally, as may be required. 
While these machines are adapted for hand operation, they are also arranged 
to work by power. This constituted a great advance over the old hammer and 
chisel method of cutting, the work being done better and in considerably less time. 

The next in order is the Metal Slitting Saw, which, in point of fact, is 
simply a small size milling saw. 

These saws, as the name indicates, are used for the purpose of making a 
narrow or thin groove or slit in metals, particularly where accuracy is required. 
For instance, the ends of some patterns of Butcher Saw Frames are slit to 
receive the blade; in many gas stoves the slots in the burners are sawn, these 
giving a better flame than cast or drilled holes. They are also used for various 
kinds of general machine shop work. 

These saws are adapted to many other lines of work. For example, a very 
thip saw, about % inch diameter, is used for cutting a slot in the ends of 
certain knitting needles, used in a machine, the thread being held in the slot 
instead of in the usual eye, which is commonly associated with a needle. A 
similar very fine saw is employed for slitting the nibs of the coarser styles of 
pens, this saw being about 6/1000 of an inch thick. Then again there are 
special sizes used by jewelers for cutting chain-links, etc. These are made of 
cold-rolled steel and are not ground. 

Metal Slitting Saws generally range in size from 2 ^ to 7 inches in diam¬ 
eter, and from 1/32 to inch in thickness. Owing to the nature of their 
work they are made of a particular 
quality of steel, with teeth of a character 
making them strong and effective 
cutters. They are specially hardened 
and tempered, accurately ground to 
gauge, and tapering thinner toward 
centre for clearance. 

For particular work, where a 
definite and positive width of cut is to 
be made, they are ground to micrometer 
gauge, so strict are the specifications 
as to thickness. 

Somewhat smaller in size are the 
Screw Slotting Saws, their name also 
implying their use—cutting the slots 
in screws. These are generally used in 
machines which do the work automatic¬ 
ally. Screw Slotting Saws range in 
diameter from inches, .006 gauge 
thick, to 2% inches, .182 thick. While 
hardened and tempered, they are not lg * 

ground or polished. , , . , , c ( 

r pj] 0 j -0 circ, of course, other sizes End thicknesses of Slotting S&ws iojt 










Page 56 


The Saw in History 


different kinds of mechanical work requiring the cutting of slots, but the 
dimensions mentioned above are stock sizes. 

Times and methods change, progress, being ever the keynote, and while 
the regular solid tooth milling saws were improved, and their efficiency in¬ 
creased, still the cry came for “More work in less time.” This naturally led 
to experiment in the direction of Inserted Tooth Saws for cutting metal, for 
the reason that in this pattern of saw the teeth, being separate from the blade, 
could be made of a different quality of steel and hardened to a much higher 
degree than is practicable in a solid tooth blade, and greater working results 
achieved thereby. 

Inserted Tooth Circular Saws for sawing metal are of comparatively 
recent origin; in fact, so far as can be ascertained, the first saw of the kind made 
and used in the United States was that manufactured by Henry Disston & Sons 
in 1893 for a large steel works, to be used in cutting armor plate. This saw 
(Fig. 24) was 86 inches in diameter, the blade 1 inch thick, and cut a kerf 1 3/16 
inches wide. The teeth in this saw were made of Mushet steel, the forerunner 
of the present High-speed Steel referred to previously. Several saws of this 
pattern were successfully operated for some time, but were finally discarded 
owing to improvements in the manner of inserting and holding the teeth in 
place. 

Many and varied were the suggestions and designs looking to the improve¬ 
ment of this class of saw. The time and expense consumed in making and 
testing each of the patterns, as well as in making numerous changes and 
variations proved necessary by service, amounted to considerable, particularly 
as the experiments extended over some years. 

To illustrate some of the stages in the evolution of the Inserted Tooth 
Circular Saw for cutting metal, Fig. 24 represents a section of the pattern sub¬ 
mitted to Disston by the steel works for the 86-inch saw referred to. This 
was followed by the Monarch type. Then from time to time, came in the 
order named, Regal, Royal, and Fig. 25. 

Saws of these types were made up and used, but continued experimenting 
brought out the pattern shown by Fig. 26, which was designed by the Master 
Mechanic of Henry Disston & Sons. This pattern, however, while never used, 



Regal Teeth and Section of Saw 





The Saw in History 


Page 57 


nevertheless served its purpose by leading to a modification from which the 
Premier type was evolved at the Disston Works. The Premier was patented 
March 5, 1907, and, by comparison, will easily be seen to represent the highest 
and most efficient type. 



Royal Teeth and Section of Saw 


Prior to this time the question of steel for the teeth was satisfactorily 
settled by the invention of High-speed Steel; the form of teeth best suited 
was also determined, but there still remained the perfecting of a sure and 
positive method of fastening the teeth in the blade to prevent chattering and 



Monarch Teeth and Section of Saw 

















Page 58 


The Saw in History 


coming loose, and this was attained in the Premier Saw. Therefore, standing 
as the improved type of metal-cutting saw, a brief description of the make-up 
of the “Premier” is worthy of note. 

The sockets in the blade are accurately milled to shape, and are made 
wider across the bottom than at the top on account of the inverted wedge. 
This wedge, as will be noted, is placed in reverse position to wedges in other 
saws. Thus, when adjusted by screw shown, even if the screw is removed, 
and the saw placed in operation, it has been ascertained that the teeth will not 
come loose. In the working, the force of inserted teeth naturally being out¬ 
ward, in the Premier, as the teeth are tapered slightly larger at the bottom 
and the wedge inverted, the tendency of the force mentioned is to make the 
teeth still tighter. Then, again, the wedge, instead of being driven down, is 
forced upwards in the tightening, thus backing up and strengthening that part 
of the tooth doing the cutting. This method of fastening the teeth in the 
Premier permits of easy adjustment or removal. 

The teeth are of Disston High-speed Self-hardening Steel, milled from a 
solid bar, and toughened by a special process. They are of two types, as 
shown in illustrations. The round top tooth, which is narrow and projects 
slightly beyond the oval tooth, breaking the way by cutting a groove, and the 
other, an oval top tooth, following along, cuts out the remaining sides or full 
width of kerf or channel, and gives sufficient clearance for the blade. This 
manner of cutting gives three narrow chips instead of a single wide one. The 
hook on the fronts of teeth is formed to give the greatest rapidity of cutting, 
and rolls the chips clear of the cut. These teeth are accurately adjusted to 
the height desired by the adjusting screw inserted in plate beneath them. 

The Premier Saws are run at a speed governed, to a great extent, of course, 
by the kind of material to be cut, varying from 40 to 60 feet per minute, rim 
motion, with a feed up to 1% inches per minute. 

From the very first the actual working of the Premier demonstrated that 
it was an ideal saw for steel foundries, steel forges, railroad work, structural 
















The Saw in History 


Page 59 


work, locomotive works, and all heavy metal cutting, performing the work 
more rapidly and with greater accuracy than Solid Tooth Saws. 

The picture on page 50 shows one of these saws in operation, giving a very 
clear idea of its appearance, and the powerful work it performs. 

Before leaving the Premier Saw it may be interesting to state that a 
special saw was made, 72 inches in diameter, containing 56 teeth, each tooth 
being made of High-speed Steel and weighing 1 pound; the wedge weighed 
y<L pound, thus making a total weight for the teeth and wedges alone of 84 
pounds. 

The New Disston Spiral Inserted Tooth Saw for cutting all but the 
heaviest metals is another step toward efficiency and economy. As a thin 
blade is used, first cost is lower, and as less metal is cut in the kerf this saw is 
economical of power. 

This new saw is of a high Carbon Crucible Steel, hardened and tempered 
plate, with High-speed Steel teeth, all of Disston manufacture. 

The teeth are adjusted and set in place on a spiral to secure necessary 
amount of clearance in cut. The combinations of teeth are formed to give the 
best results in cutting various kinds, sizes, and shapes of stock. 

The teeth are held in place with wedges. The teeth can be dressed easily 
without removing from saw. It is only necessary to dress fronts of teeth to 
secure desired results. 

While the Disston “Premier” Inserted Tooth Circular Milling Saw held 
its place as “The Premier” for some years, the Interlocking Saw, as illustrated, 
has superseded it. This new saw is chiefly a modification of the “Premier” 
and represents the latest and highest type of Inserted Tooth Milling Saws for 
rapid cutting of 
large, heavy work. 

For the cut¬ 
ting of hard steel, 
rails, gates, and 
risers of steel cast¬ 
ings, general con¬ 
struction work, 
and the cutting of 
irregular shapes, 
the Sectional In¬ 
terlocked has been 
designed. 

The teeth of 
the “Sectional” 
can be ground 
while in place, 
practically the 
same as a solid 

tooth saw. Blade always retains its diameter, which means full cutting sur¬ 
face on the rim and can be operated with fully 50 per cent, less power than a 
solid tooth blade. The teeth are held in place by one wedge or key tighten¬ 
ing and retaining four to six teeth. This means a saw with sixty teeth re¬ 
quires ten wedges only. . , . , 

In the lighter work of metal sawing Band Saws are used lor the reason 
that small pieces can be fed by hand instead of being clamped, and thus the 
work is quickly accomplished. 

For some years the Band Saws used for this work were hardened through¬ 
out, but this did not permit making them as hard as was required for cutting 
metal, owing to the fact that extremely hard bands would not stand the 



Interlocking Tooth 











Page 60 


The Saw in History 



bending and straightening in going over the 
wheels. 

Early in the eighties the first so-called 
Flexible or Soft-back Band Saws were made. 

These were extremely hard on the tooth-edge 
and from there to the back were not hardened, 
but left in the soft state. Thus was overcome 
the difficulty in the running, and not only 
that, but they cost less to make, and the user 
profits by this as well as the fact that the 
saws last longer and accomplish more work. 

The Soft-back Band Saws, of course, are 
toothed, sharpened, and set before being 
hardened. 

They are usually made of narrow width, 
from 34 to inch, and from 23 gauge, or 
.025, to 21 gauge, or .032, in thickness. In 
length they vary according to requirements. 

This type of saw was first used to cut 
shapes and forms out of sheet iron, but is 
now used by manufacturers of castings, 
machines, and bronze castings; ship and 
engine builders; foundries, etc. 

In closing this description of Metal- 
.cutting Saws, referring particularly to the 
larger saws, it is fitting to remark that the 
advance of modern methods has been great 
in the working and use of iron and steel. 

While the saw has contributed its share in 
no .small measure toward this advancement, 
still due credit must be given the manu¬ 
facturers of the machines, in which many 
improvements have been effected, making 
possible the attainment of highest efficiency 
and results. 

The description of metal-cutting saws 
brings to a close the story of the modern 
types of saws—that is, the saws we see in use 
about us today—and concludes the history 
of the saw. 

If, in the light of what we have been . 

reading, we look backward again to those Sectional Interlocking Tooth 

crude, roughened stones which primal man 

used before history was written, it is amazing to see the wonderful advances 
saws have made in a comparatively short span of time. When we observe 
the ease with which the teeth of a modern saw cut through a log or plank, 
the mind is inevitably led to make comparisons, and it seems almost incon¬ 
ceivable to us that a man armed only with one of the primitive stone saws 
of antiquity could even dent a piece of wood—much less cut it off. 

But great as is the variety, and wonderful the construction of modern 
saws, there are none which better illustrate the vast advances made, nor 
draw a stronger contrast between the saw as it was and as it is today, than 
the modern mill saw. 

The present-day Band Saw, ranging from 40 to 60 feet in length, and 12 
to 18 inches in width, slipping through massive logs with a speed greater than 









The Saw in History 


Page 61 


that of an express train, has become such an every-day matter that few realize 
what it means to the world, or what the saw-maker has done for humanity. 

It is to the lumber mills, then, that one must look for the highest and 
greatest development of the saw. While Hand Saws, and the many other 
special forms of saws have increased in variety, efficiency, and appropriateness, 
the advances have been made chiefly in slight alterations in design, and the 
improvement of materials and processes. With the Band and Circular Mill 
Saws, on the other hand, we find a steady advance in size and efficiency, as 
well as in all the other attributes. 

Could the millman of other days who struggled with his up-and-down saw, 
and his crude Circular Saw of improper tension and limited diameter, return 
today to witness the sawing operations of the big modern mills with their 
gangs of Band and Circular Saws, he would be astounded. 

These mills of today, employing huge Band and Circular Saws, should 
be compared in your mind’s eye to the prehistoric man seated under a forest 
tree, and devoting many hours of arduous labor to the severing of a piece of 
wood that would appear to modern eyes ridiculously small in contrast to the 
effort required 

These great plants represent the final development of the saw as known 
today. What the future may bring forth it is hardly safe to predict, but 
with our present knowledge of materials and mechanical stresses it seems as 
if we were approaching the limit, and that these mills, and the saws they run, 
will stand for all time as among the greatest achievements of the saw-makers’ 
art. 



Page 62 


The Saw in History 



Four Band Gang Saw in a Modern Mill 



Japanese Sawyer at Work 











KEYSTONE SAW, TOOL, STEEL AND FILE WORKS 
PHILADELPHIA. U. S. A, 




















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